A future uncertain
by Sarin Todd
Summary: Sequel to 'A past forgotten'. Facing the ghosts from the past. Is there a future for them? Or is this how it will end. The only way it could end? 'Just you and me Ror, against the world.'
1. Chapter 1

In Arkham 2 months later…

Bruce was standing in a viewing room as he watched one of Arkhams doctors trying to speak to the Joker. He was Batman at the moment, Bruce Wayne hanging around Arkham would only raise questions.

A knock came at the door and a doctor poked her head around the door.  
"I heard you wanted to speak with me?" She asked, and Bruce nodded. She stepped into the room and held out her hand.  
"I'm doctor Jenkinson." She was a middle-aged woman, with her black hair pulled into a bun that sat at the nape of her neck. Her large glasses obscuring most of her face. Bruce shook her hand and they both turned to watch the Joker. The doctor had been speaking but the Joker said nothing just stared at the wall. He hadn't moved his body or his eyes since he was sat down.  
"Has he said anything?" Bruce asked as they watched. But he could guess the answer.  
"He hasn't spoken a word since you brought him in." The doctor shot him a side long look. "If you don't mind me asking, what the hell happened?"

Batman looked at her confused. "What do you mean?" He asked, not taking his eyes away.  
"Well I've been working her for 8 years. I've seen you bring in the Joker dozens of times. And every single time, we can't shut him up. He talks and talks. In his sessions, at lunch, with other inmates and even in the middle of the night. But this time, he hasn't uttered a single word." She turned back to the Joker, and Bruce tried to think.

What was different? The girl? What was her name, Rory? She was the only thing that had changed. Sure, the joker took hostages, he had done it countless times. But they never did last long, a day or two. But she was with him for more than a week.  
She was the only anomaly. Whatever it was about her, he obviously wasn't taking her death with the same indifference he usually treated people dying with. She was different. Something about her. But what?

"If we don't make a breakthrough soon. He may be like this forever." Bruce was shaken out his thoughts when the doctor spoke. He nodded as he watched him. "But maybe that's for the best." She said, and Bruce couldn't say he disagreed.  
"Well, I have to get to my other patients. Goodbye Batman." She left the room and Bruce stayed watching the Joker.

He wondered whether he should do anything, if they left him like this maybe Gotham would recover from his reign of terror. Rebuild from his years of destruction and chaos.  
But Bruce couldn't in good conscience leave him like this, maybe Joker could become a productive member of society. He had to give him that chance. No matter his history with the Joker, Bruce still had to believe that people, at their core, were good. If he stopped believing that, maybe the Batman couldn't be anymore. What would he fight for?  
He decided to leave and talk to Gordon, maybe he could shed some light on the Jokers recent silence. As he stalked out of the room, he shot the Joker one last look. He was in the same position, but his eyes had moved to the two-sided mirror. Bruce knew that the Joker couldn't see him. But it was eerie how his eyes had found him, staring him down.  
He shook off his unease and left the asylum.

"No Bruce." Gordon nearly shut the door in Bruce's face.  
"Gordon, you don't even know what I was going to ask." Bruce tried his foot jammed in the door.  
"Like hell I don't." Gordon pushed the door trying to close it. Crushing Bruce's feet but more importantly, his designer shoes.  
"Please, just let me in." Bruce gave Jim a pleading look and he relented grumpily.  
"Fine, come in." He opened the door and Bruce walked in. Shrugging off his jacket and hanging it up on the coat hook. Gordon showed him through to the lounge and took a seat on one of the sofas.

Bruce took one opposite of him and settled into the chair. Wriggling into the worn fabric.  
"What do you want?" Gordon asked getting straight to the point.  
"No tea?" Bruce asked but a look from Gordon shut him right up again. "Ok, no tea. I need to talk to you about, Rory." At that Gordon shot back up again.  
"I knew it. Out!" Gordon pointed to the door, but Bruce held up his hands.  
"Gordon, come on. It's been two months." He tried to defend himself, but Gordon was going red in the face. A vein throbbing in his neck.

"It can be two years, or two hundred. I said no." Bruce didn't move from his seat, if he backed down every time Gordon did this, he would never get anything done. He tried again.  
"Calm down Gordon, come on, sit down." Bruce didn't come here to upset Gordon. He just seemed to have this effect on some people. Especially Gordon.

"Why do you want to talk about Rory?" Gordon asked taking a seat, apparently calming down.  
Bruce tried to think of a way to bring up the Joker, but he knew Gordon would practically throw him out. The silence stretched as Bruce tried to think of how to tactfully say it.  
"It's the Joker, isn't it?" Gordon sighed as Bruce nodded. "I knew it." Jim took off his glasses and rubbed the bridge of his nose, seriously regretting letting Bruce in. As he did every time he let him in.  
"Why can't you just leave well enough alone?" Gordon asked sighing and replacing his spectacles. He gave Bruce a long look.

"I just need five minutes." Bruce tried but Gordon shook his head.  
"I can't do this today Bruce. I just can't." Gordon stood up again and this time Bruce followed. He knew when to quit, he would just have to come back. Perseverance will slowly wear down the rock. Gordon led him to the door and Bruce grabbed his coat.

"I'll come back another day." Bruce said as he walked out the door and Gordon nodded. Gordon lifted his hand in goodbye as he watched Bruce get into his car. As he watched him speed off into the distance Gordon sighed.  
This was Bruce's problem, he couldn't let sleeping dogs lie, always had to kick up a fuss. Gordon went to the kitchen and searched for some pain killers. Seemed every time he seen Bruce he would bring on a headache. Metaphorically and physically.

Gordon knew this wasn't over, but he tried to kid himself a little longer. He could keep putting off speaking to Bruce, but he was nothing if not persistent. Unfortunately.  
Gordon took some paracetamol and went back to his chair.

He was trying to move on from the events of two months ago, but it seemed he would have to face the ghosts.

His ghosts.

Rory.

Sooner or later though.

Everything comes to the surface.


	2. Chapter 2

'Jack Napier  
1980-2000'  
'Rory Johnson  
1981-2005' 

I never thought I would be standing next to this gravestone.

I never thought I would be standing next to my own grave.

I felt along my chest and ran a finger over the scar. It had only healed recently, doctors said I nearly died, I thought I had. Then I woke up in a hospital. I was confused for a while until Jim explained it to me.  
He knew I wasn't dead when he pulled the white sheet over my face, he just wanted to make it look like I had. He explained it was the only way I would be safe, if the Joker knew I survived I would never be safe ever again. He told me it was for my protection.

Of course, Gordon didn't know that the Joker was Jack, and Jack would never hurt me. Gordon could never know the truth about the time I spent with Jack, he wouldn't understand. I barely did. I was worried they would find the tapes Jack had been taping of my time there. But that room had strangely caught fire before the police arrived. No doubt Richie torched it before he went to the roof.

The roof. It seemed like a lifetime ago, but it was mere months.

I doubt Gordon would even believe Joker was once Jack, a boy he had met many years ago and even attended his funeral.

No one mourns the wicked, except me. One lonely girl standing next to an empty grave. Crying for the boy he had been and the man he had become. For the future we lost, for the past that would never be again. But maybe we were always meant to end up here? A girl crying over the grave of the boy she had loved, and still loved even now.

I had been coming here a lot these past few days. Sometimes I came for the silence, sometimes I would cry, other times I would talk to no one in particular. I knew Jack wasn't here, not even in spirit. I knew where Jack was now.  
Gordon didn't want to tell me at first, said it wasn't good to tell me for my 'recovery' but I persisted. They took Jack to Arkham. I didn't even know what Arkham was but after some googling I found it was a mental institution. I also found a dozen reports of him breaking out, those didn't surprise me.

I sighed as I looked at my name on the stone.  
Gordon wanted to get it removed, said it was macabre to have a gravestone when you were still alive. But I asked him to leave it.  
It was kind of poetic really. The people Jack and I used to be, dead and buried. But together, finally.

I couldn't tell Gordon that, of course.  
I couldn't tell Gordon much of anything.

He had asked what happened with the Joker while I was with him. That's what everyone wanted to know. It's all they ever asked me. I had just woken up from surgery and there were police waiting by my bedside. Gordon chased them out, but they would always come back. I didn't answer any of their questions, but Gordon had questions too.

"What happened?"  
"When did he take you?"  
"Where were you kept?"  
"Did he tell you anything, reveal any future plans?"  
"Did you try to escape?"  
"Did he force himself on you?"  
"Did he hurt you?"

I refused to answer their questions, all of them, and Gordon knew even he couldn't force an answer out of me. They wanted me to be a witness at a trial, but I refused that too, Gordon was with me on that one. He wanted me to have nothing to do with the Joker. He wanted to erase it like it never happened.  
But he didn't know how deep mine and Jacks history was. I couldn't just forget about Jack. It was impossible.

I guess I could never leave Jack, not really. We are destined to do this forever. Come back to each other just to be separated all over again. Not even death could keep us apart for long.

I felt my phone buzz in my pocket, I sighed at the disruption of my quiet time, but I picked up.  
"Gordon? Hi, yeah, I'm at the graveyard… I know you don't like me being here." I rubbed my eyes as I listened to Gordon scold me.  
Since coming back to the world of the living, he hardly let me out of his sight. He let me come to the graveyard alone, but that was about it. And every trip I must wear a ridiculously large scarf and hat. Don't talk to anyone, don't look at anyone, straight there, straight back. Every time I wanted to go shopping he would order it online, if I ordered food he would answer the door. He even bought me a new phone. I only had his number, who else would I talk to?

There had been a media fuss over the arrest of Jack two months ago, but Gordon kept me out of the media stories. Any reporter who began to sniff around, Gordon would threaten to arrest them. I was thankful for that, I didn't want to be in the papers anymore than Gordon.  
He was happy to pretend I wasn't the girl in the newspapers.  
Of course, as far as anyone knew of that girl was that she was dead. That's what the papers said, the joker shot her in an attempt to escape, but Gotham's finest caught him and apprehended the criminal mastermind. And if it's in the papers, well, it must be true.

"Yes Gordon, I'm coming back now… Straight back, I know. Ok, goodbye." I hung up the phone and stowed it back in my pocket. I gave a last look at the graves and turned to leave. Jack was right, I really should stop visiting his grave so often.

As I made my way home, my thoughts couldn't help but drift back to Jack. He still thought I was dead, as far as I knew anyway. It didn't feel right, I could understand Gordon wanting to keep me safe, if only he knew how much his views concerning me aligned with Jacks. I scoffed, they would both hate that. It was midday as I made my way down my street, head in the clouds as usual.

"Rory?" I snapped to attention at the call of my name. I slowed my step and in front of me was Bruce Wayne.  
"Mr. Wayne." He was leaning against his car in his pressed suit, he gave me a grin as I stopped. "This is a… surprise." I managed as I gave him a puzzled look and glancing around me asked him. "Are you lost?" What was he doing here? Wayne manor wasn't exactly down the road, and he looked like he was waiting for someone.

"No, not lost." He grinned and pushed himself off the car he was leaning against.  
"Ok, well cya." I was about to walk past him when he side-stepped into my path.  
"Seeing as I've bumped into you. I actually wanted to speak to you." He held out a hand. "I want us to start over." He gave me a charming look as I shook his hand. I still wasn't over the coffee blouse incident.

"Why?" I queried taking back my hand and shoving them into my pockets.  
"Well I'm friends with Gordon and I think he would want us to get along." I had to hold back a laugh, if only Bruce Wayne knew how many times Gordon had warned me off him in the past months. They may be friends, but Gordon knew his reputation with women, I was more inclined to listen to Gordon.  
"I also still owe you a shirt." He added, which did make me laugh. Thinking back to when the worst thing that happened to me was someone spilling their coffee on me. I nodded my head, a smile on my face.

"You do indeed." I admitted. "But I really do have to head home." I was looking past him down the road to my house, wanting to leave this conversation. He quickly took out his phone and handed it to me.

"Give your number and we'll set up a date." I took the phone from his hands but raised an eyebrow at him, my fingers not moving until he added the "Please?" I nodded and entered my number, handing back the phone. I stepped around him and turned back briefly.

"Bye." I raised my hand and began to walk down the street. A few moments later I heard his car start and he sped down the street. Odd, I thought he was waiting for someone. I shrugged it off and just as I was about to take my key out to get in my house, Gordons head poked out from the house next door.

"Tea?" He asked, a smile on his face. I nodded coming away from my own door and hopping the fence to Gordons. He hated me doing that, I told him if he wanted me to stop doing it then just remove the bloody fence.  
When I got out of hospital Gordon insisted I move in with him and his family. I respectfully declined bunking with his kids. Thankfully the small house next to him went onto the market and Gordon practically forced me to start renting it. I was only able to make rent due to Gordon getting me a job down at the precinct. He made me his personal assistant, it was the easiest job I have ever had. I wasn't his secretary as he kept her still, all I had to do was make coffee and help here and there. It was a pity job, but it pays the bills.

Speaking of coffee, I shut the door to Gordons home and followed him to the kitchen.  
"No Mary?" I asked as the house was quiet.  
"No, she is taking the kids swimming." He put the kettle on to boil as I hopped up onto the counter.  
"Didn't fancy it? Couldn't find your speedo?" I asked cheekily which made Gordon smile, he shook his head and started to make the tea.

As I laughed I remembered my chance meeting.  
"Oh. You'll never guess who I ran into on my way home." I said mysteriously.  
"Who?" Gordon asked distractedly.

"Bruce Wayne." I answered, and Gordon momentarily slowed.  
"Really? How… odd." I couldn't be sure, but Gordon sounded distinctly mad at the mention of Bruce. I chalked it up to my imagination and carried on.  
"Odd indeed." I agreed. "He wants to be my best friend." Gordon hummed a response as he finished of the tea, so I carried on.

"So, I told him, I said Mr Wayne, I couldn't possibly be your friend. I have so many, my social calendar is bursting at the seams. I have more friends than I know what to do with. Bless him, it broke his heart." I put a hand over my heart and pouted at Gordon. "He'll just have to cry in one of the wings of his mansion. Wiping up his tears with $100 bills as he cries on his solid gold throne. He seems like the type to have a throne." I smiled and hopped down off the counter, Gordon smiled back at me and handed me a mug.  
It took a small sip and held up a thumb. "Good cup of tea." He nodded and took his own going to sit down on his sofa.

"So, Bruce Wayne." He began as he put up his feet.  
"Hmm, did he stop by here?" I asked as I took my own seat, slipping off my shoes and tucking my feet under me.  
"Only for a few minutes." He waved it off.  
"So weird." I mused. "You and him. Friends." I shook my head thinking about it. "What do you even have in common?" I wondered out loud.  
"Oh, you know… stuff. Anyway, we need to talk." He changed the subject and I inwardly groaned. "Rory, you need to stop spending so much time at the graveyard." I resisted the urge to roll my eyes and instead nodded my head.  
"And I will." I lied, sipping my tea.  
"Rory…" He gave me his 'I know best' stare.  
"I like it there." I tried but he didn't let up.  
"You need to spend more time with the living." Gordon said draining his coffee. Me and Mary were on a secret mission to get him onto de-cafe, so far it was not working.

"More time with people, like, Bruce Wayne?" I asked and smiled as Gordon grimaced.  
"Well no, not him exactly." He gave me a small smile back but added seriously. "The past it no place to live." He said referring to Jack. I knew he had a point, so I nodded.  
"You are right Gordon, it's just hard." I sighed, if only he knew. My problem wasn't with the dead, my problem was very much alive.

"I just want what's best for you." He picked up his empty coffee and was taking it to the kitchen. "Anyway, I need to head to the station." I got to my feet and slipped my shoes back on.  
"Need me?" I followed him and knocked back to rest of my tea before putting it in the sink. Gordon shook his head heading to the front door.  
"I won't be long." He shrugged on his jacket and opened the front door for me. "I'll see you later." He walked to his car and I went to my place, waving to him as he left. As my door closed, I rested my back against it, breathing a sigh. I liked the quiet, but I didn't like being alone so much. Maybe I should get a cat? I thought as I walked aimlessly through the house. This place didn't feel like home yet, but hopefully it would soon.

I didn't know what to do with myself these days, seemed like there were too many hours, and I was just waiting for them to pass. I could clean? I chuckled, yeah right Rory. I went upstairs and decided to crack open one of the books that was collecting dust on my shelf.  
"Let's be someone else for a few hours." I said to myself. I picked one at random and dropped down onto my bed. I made myself comfortable and opened the book. Page one, where it all begins.

I woke up a few hours later, blinking to get my bearings. I looked out the window and cursed when I seen it was dark, how the hell am I going to sleep tonight if I just sleep my afternoons away? I took the book off my chest and put a bookmark in saving my place. I picked up my phone from next to me and checked for messages.

3 new messages.  
From Gordon:  
'Have you seen my glasses?'  
I smiled as I read the next one.  
From Gordon:  
'Found them, on top of my head.'  
I typed back a quick reply.  
From Rory:  
'This is why you're the commissioner. Another case solved.'

I went to the third text from an unknown number.  
Unknown:  
Hello, save my number. W  
I was tempted to text back, 'New phone, who this?' but I stopped myself. I knew it was Bruce Wayne. I saved the number but didn't reply.  
I was about to begin reading again when a shadow on my balcony caught my eye. As the light shone and I could see clearly. I screamed.


	3. Chapter 3

"What the hell is wrong with you?!" I yelled as I opened the balcony door to Batman. "Why are you always creeping in through windows? I have a front door."  
He took a step into my room but didn't say anything. "Do you always lurk on people's balconies?" I asked but he gave me no reply. I sighed and calmed my racing heart down.  
"How can I help you Batman?" I perched on the end of my bed, trying to sound polite, but I really wanted to grab my book and hurl it as his stupid masked face.

"It's about the Joker." His voice was unnaturally deep, he sounded like a heavy smoker of 40+ years. Not at all like that night on the roof, but maybe they were extenuating circumstances.  
"Oh, goody. What about him?" I sighed, wondering what trouble Jack was in now. "What's he done? Escaped?" I said remembering the articles I found online.  
"That's the problem. He hasn't done anything." I gave Batman a confused look as he went on.  
"He hasn't said a word, to anyone. Doctors are worried he may never recover. Seems like he has retreated into his mind and they can't reach him." Batman finished, and I tried to not let my emotions show, I knew Jack wouldn't be coping well thinking I was dead. When we were separated all those years ago, he even told me, he kept tabs on me, he could see me. Now, he thought I was gone forever. My sadness came out as anger though talking to Batman.

"You must be thrilled." I got up from the bed and turned away from Batman. "Finally, no more trouble from the notorious Joker. I expect you'll be throwing a party, inform all of Gotham of the good news. Are you here to drop off my invitation?" I barked a short laugh.  
"I don't feel that way Rory. I believe the Joker can change, maybe even become a productive member of society. That's why I want your help." I turned when he said that.

"My help?" I asked narrowing my eyes at him. "What do you want me to do?"  
"I want you to speak to him." Batman took a few steps toward me and I backed away from reflex. He held up his hands and stepped back. "I think it might help him."  
"Gordon doesn't want me to see the Joker." I thought of Gordon and instantly knew his answer to this.

A big fat no.

Maybe even a hell no.

"I was hoping you could talk to Gordon." Batman said, and I had to stop myself from laughing.  
"Why don't you speak to him?" I asked crossing my arms, not wanting to get in Gordons bad books by bringing this up to him.  
"I thought you might be able to convince him?" Apparently, Batman didn't want to be on Gordons bad side either.  
"Have you already tried?" I asked, and Batman sighed.  
"Yes." He admitted, and I smiled.  
"So, you came to me?" He nodded, and I rolled my eyes. "Gordon will never say yes to me going to see the Joker." I knew he wouldn't, so I said something I thought I wouldn't ever suggest.  
"So, he can't know."  
Batman was silent for a minute.  
"Lie to Gordon?" He asked, and I threw up my hands.  
"What else can we do? He wouldn't ever be on board with it." I explained, and Batman gave me a puzzled look. It was hard to see it through the cowl, but it was there. At least I think it was.

"To be honest, I didn't think you would be eager to help." Batman crossed his arms across his broad chest and gave me a look.  
"If I can help, why shouldn't I?" I shrugged my shoulders, and tried to not look so guilty. "Being a good Samaritan and all that."  
"Are you sure that's all it is?" Batman asked, and I was less than thrilled with where this conversation was going. "Everyone who has been lucky enough to walk away from the Joker, and that isn't many. None of them have ever wanted to hear his name again. But you're willing to not only go and see him, talk to him, but to help him?" I could hear the accusation in his voice.

"Ok, I'll not go and see him then." I said quickly. "Let him go insane. See if I care." If only he knew how much I did, indeed care.  
"I didn't say that." Batman tried but I interrupted him.  
"I don't want to be accused of sympathising with a psychopath." I pointed to my balcony. "You can go out the same way you came in, yeah?"  
Batman sighed and held up his hands in surrender. "I'm sorry. Will you please accompany me to see the Joker?" He asked, and I pretended to think over his offer, knowing my answer since the first time he asked me. But letting him wait a little more than necessary.  
"Fine. Tomorrow, I'll be ready at 9:30. I'll need a ride." I knew Gordon left for work at 9 in the morning, I would just have to say I was sick, hell we are already lying to him, might as well go all out.  
Batman nodded and went to the balcony.  
"I was kidding before Batman, you can use the front door." I turned around pointing the way but when I looked back he was gone.

Well. That was just creepy. I went over to the balcony door and closed it again, making sure I locked it and drew the curtains over it. I was going to go back to reading but now I wouldn't be able to settle. I decided I might as well go downstairs and make something to eat. Maybe that would settle my nerves, or maybe I was in for a terrible night's sleep tonight.

I got a text.  
From Gordon  
I've lost my glasses again.

I smiled but quickly realised I was going to lie straight to his face next time I seen him. My stomach clenched in guilt as I thought about it.  
Damn Batman.

Bruce Wayne's p.o.v

He had just left Rory's new home, and Bruce was speeding off back to the manor. He was happy to hear Rory was willing to help but it just didn't make sense in his head.  
She was held by the Joker, against her will he assumed, and she wouldn't talk about what happened in that time, to anyone. Not even Gordon. But she was more than cooperative to go and talk to the Joker. Just what the hell happened in that time with them?  
Also, the Joker baffled him, he had never been this way before. Bruce had no claim to understand the mind of the mad man but even he knew this was way out of line of his usual behaviour.  
The Joker had never reacted like this. To anything. Especially not the death of a hostage he took. He killed them just to pass the time. So why was he grieving? Was he even grieving? Or had his mind finally just snapped.

And that night on the rooftop. It didn't look a lot like he was holding Rory against her will. He jumped to the other roof first, and she followed him. She could have run to the police, but she didn't.  
Sure, Bruce could understand it was maybe partial Stockholm syndrome, Rory had gone through a traumatic experience and it wasn't unheard of. But the Joker, he trying to escape with her, Batman thought he would happily use her as a distraction and toss her off the roof. But he was a wreck when he thought she was dead. He screamed as Batman held him and didn't even try to escape. He stayed where he was while the helicopter flew off, he stayed and held her as she bled.

Maybe he wanted to be the one who killed her? No, that didn't make sense either.  
Batman shook his head, he didn't understand this relationship these two had developed. Hopefully tomorrow he could gain a better understanding. But he had a feeling it might just bring up more questions instead of answers. And unless Rory was willing to divulge the information of what happened while she was with the Joker. Bruce doubted anyone except them two, would ever know.

Bruce hated not having all the information, it felt like an incomplete puzzle.

And Bruce didn't like incomplete puzzles.

Rory p.o.v

"Fucks sake!" I yelled as my alarm clock woke me up at 9a.m. I swatted the poor clock to the floor. I had a terrible night's sleep last night due to Batman's visit. I hadn't been able to nod back off until 4 in the morning. I grumbled as I heard knocking at the front door. I dragged myself from my bed and jogged down the stairs. Time to act my heart out.

I opened the front door to Gordon and his smile dropped when he seen me.  
"Rory. Oh, you look terrible." He grimaced as he looked at me and I felt a small sting, did I look that bad? But I replied with a slight cough.  
"I feel terrible *cough*. I don't think I can work today." I sniffed and groaned trying to look as ill as possible. Which apparently wouldn't be too hard.  
"No, I don't think you should either. Maybe you should go to the doctor?" He suggested but I shook my head.  
"It's probably just a cold or a stomach bug. I should be fine in a day or two." I coughed again, and Gordon took a small step back.  
"I'll come and check on you later." I nodded and wiped my nose but then remembered I would be at Arkham today.

"But ring first." I coughed to cover my guilty look and Gordon looked at me confused. "You know I might be in bed asleep, or in the bath. You know, steam the bugs away." I lied, and Gordon nodded.  
"Good idea. I'll just come by after work then." He went to his car and I shouted after him.  
"Bye Gordon! Sorry!" He waved at me and I waved back.

As I closed the door I felt a wave of guilt. I didn't like lying, especially to Gordon. I would rather lie to anyone BUT Gordon, actually no I didn't like lying to Jack either.  
I was worried how Jack would react to me. Would he be relieved I wasn't dead, or angry because he thought I was.

I groaned as I trudged back up stairs to get dressed. Why did everything have to be so difficult in my life. Could nothing be straightforward? I grumpily dressed myself and watched out the window for any sign of Batman.

Did this mean I get to ride in the bat car? With my sleepless night I had done some research on the Batman and found pictures of him driving his 'Bat car'. It looked awesome and I recognised it from that night, the night where I had 'died'. I watched excitedly out the window. At exactly 9:30 a black car pulled up to the street outside my house. But it wasn't the Bat car. I was going to ignore it when my phone buzzed. I got it out confused and I had a text from a private number.

'I'm outside.' How did he get my number? But then I remembered it's Batman, how does he do anything? I stomped downstairs and out the house to the car. Stroppy that I didn't get to ride in the Bat car, it was my one chance.  
"Where's the Bat car?" I asked when I got into the car, I buckled my seat belt and Batman began to drive off.  
"What do you mean?" He asked.  
"You know the Batmobile. Your cool car." I asked, clearly unimpressed.  
"I'm trying to be inconspicuous. Anyway, this is a cool car, it's a jaguar." Batman defended as he tried to keep his attention on the roads.  
"It's no Batmobile." I muttered, and he didn't respond.

Hating the silence that stretched I pushed the button for the radio. I was slightly surprised when classical music began to play out of the speakers. Batman coughed and pushed the button back off.  
"Classical music, really?" I asked laughing.  
"What did you expect?" He replied defensive, I tried not to chuckle, it was such a weird choice for the Bat, defender of the night.  
"Not a clue, maybe heavy metal, but not Mozart." I giggled turning it back on. He left it on and sighed.  
"It's Tchaikovsky." He mumbled and began to speed up the car. Apparently wanting me out of his car as fast as possible.  
"It's Tchaikovsky." I teased and then remembered.

"Oh, I have to be back by 5:30. That's when Gordon finishes." I told him. "He'll be coming by to check on me, so I'll need to be at home by then."  
Batman nodded. "We should be done by then." I gave him a thumb up and began to watch the passing scenery. Happy to listen to Tchaikovsky.  
"You and Gordon." Batman began. "You two are close?" I looked at him, but he was watching the road. Guess that was for the best.  
"Yeah, we are." I replied but Batman obviously wanted to know how. I sighed and explained.

"When I was younger, me and my mum moved to Gotham running away from my father. He was abusive and tried to kill us, so we left everything and moved to a random city, in a random state. We ended up here. It worked for about 7 years. Then he found us, he tried to finish what he started. Real father of the year. Police came, saved us. And Gordon has been looking out for me ever since." I left out Jack from my story, Batman didn't need to know about him. Batman was getting the story the paper ran, who knows, he might have even dug it up and read that already. It wouldn't shock me. But I did tell him more about Gordon, they seemed close, so what was the harm?

"Gordon doesn't think I know, but he was behind the scenes for a long time. Got my mum in a rehab centre, putting in a good word for me at colleges I applied to. She died a while ago and so did my dad a couple of months back. I came back to Gotham to bury him, make sure the bastard was dead. And then ran into Gordon. And then all this madness happened." It was the bare bones of what happened, but I didn't want to get into details. Like I said, batman doesn't need to know all the specifics. Especially the specifics of Jack.

He nodded as I finished. "The madness, that's the Joker?" He clarified, and I hummed a response. I nodded too, but he couldn't see that.  
"Basically." I said simply. I went back to staring but Batman asked again.  
"You and the Joker. What happened?" Batman probed, I could see what he was trying to find out, he didn't actually care about the relationship between me and Gordon. Just wanted a way into talking about the joker without seeming too intrusive. Which failed.  
"What do you mean?" I asked, playing dumb.  
"Well, why you?" He asked, and I sighed turning to him.  
"I don't know Batman. Why don't you ask him that?" I snapped and thankfully he didn't ask anything else.

We arrived at Arkham not too long after and Batman pulled up and hopped out. I followed suit and we were soon in the building. After Batman spoke with a few people I was given a visitor's badge, which I pinned to my shirt and we were being escorted to some office. But Batman didn't need a visitor's badge I thought sourly. Maybe he has a room here…

"Doctor Jenkinson?" Batman knocked on a large wooden door and didn't wait for a reply. We walked into the office and a woman behind the desk smiled at us.  
"Ah Batman, back so soon." She stood up walking over and looked to me. "And you are?" She asked as she held her hand out to shake mine.  
"I'm Rory." I introduced myself, but she didn't seem to make the connection, so Batman chimed in.  
"She was the girl taken by the Joker." He said, and her eyes lit up as she looked back to me.  
"Oh of course! I'm doctor Jenkinson. You're the girl. Wow." She shook my hand enthusiastically looking right into my eyes. I laughed nervously taking my hand back.  
"Yes, I am she." I joked. She was smiling widely at me and Batman coughed diverting her attention.  
"Oh yes, well the Joker is currently in a session I believe. Shall we go?" She gestured to the door and I was the first one out of it. Weirded out by her reaction to me. She caught up to me in the hallway and stayed next to me as we made our way.

"So, you were with the Joker for over a week?" She asked as she walked right next to me.  
"Yeah, I guess." I shrugged, and she nodded looking me over.  
"Interesting… interesting." She mused, and Batman was walking slightly behind us. I looked to him for support, but he just stared straight ahead. Great, thanks.  
"Did he ever try to kill you?" She asked, and I shook my head.  
"Not that I'm aware of." I laughed nervously but she kept her serious face. I don't think I have ever been more uncomfortable in my life. She wasn't exactly beating around the bush, but at least she was upfront about it.  
"You would know if he did." She nodded to herself and I had to keep my feet walking forward instead of right out the building where they wanted to go. Thankfully we arrived at the room which stopped her questions.

She opened the door to a viewing room next door, but Batman stopped her.  
"I thought Rory would be able to speak to the Joker." He suggested, and Dr Jenkinson looked a little surprised.  
"You want to speak with him? With the Joker?" She asked, her eyes going to me. Oh, is it the Joker in there? I thought it was the Queen, oh well never mind. Was what I wanted to say. But instead I just nodded. Batman jumped in.  
"I thought it might help." He offered, and the doctor nodded.  
"Well it couldn't hurt, we've tried everything else." She looked to Batman and nodded, before turning to me and taking my hand in her own, patting it reassuringly.  
"Now Rory, we will be just a few feet away. And the Joker is restrained in every possible way, you will be safe." She took a deep breath and put her hand on my shoulder. "He can't hurt you ever again, don't be afraid." She said solemnly, and I felt bad she was worried for my safety. I knew Jack, he would never hurt me.

But I tried to look nervous as Doctor Jenkinson stepped back.  
"You're so brave." She squeezed my hand before she went into the room next door. Batman was looking at me intently, so I returned his stare until he followed the doctor. He was the one who asked me to come today, but I felt under investigation. As the door closed I went to other. Taking a deep breathe before I knocked.

I wondered how Jack would react to a ghost coming to visit… 


	4. Chapter 4

I opened the door and it took me a minute to recognise Jack. The make-up I had become so accustomed to seeing was all washed off, but his skin underneath was still slightly stained. It gave him the look of being extremely sick, but maybe he was. He was thinner than I remember, his cheeks slightly hollow, his long limbs slimmer, his eyes stained a fading black.

His eyes were staring at the wall. Even as I opened the door and walked in his eyes didn't move. I sat in the chair opposite him. There was a small table between us, Jacks hands were cuffed together and chained through the table, I would wager there was link on the floor too. A security guard stood just off to the side of the room, a cattle prod on his belt along with a radio and pepper spray. Comforting…

If they had a guard in all his sessions, they really were worried about Jack. But they didn't need to be, he wasn't even moving. He was still as a statue.  
The guard glanced at me confused until his radio screeched from his belt. He removed it without taking his eyes off me. He spoke into in and then nodded to me. Putting it back I looked to Jack.

"Joker?" I tried, Jacks eyes slightly moved but they didn't look towards me. I wanted to say his name, his real name, but I knew that was a bad idea. As Doctor Jenkinson said, she and Batman were watching.

"It's me." My voice was quiet, but it seemed so loud in the silence. That's when his eyes slid to me. He looked me over and then his eyes went back to the wall. "It's Rory." I tried. I shifted in my seat, aware of the eyes behind the glass.  
"You're not real." I heard from across the table, his voice was raspy and rough. Evident he hadn't used it for a while. I tried not to reach across the table, my heart pulling at me. He thought I was a hallucination.

"Maybe. Maybe not." I didn't know what else to say to that.  
I could see his eyes shifting back and forth to me and the wall. Not sure where he wanted to look. Finally, he sighed and turned fully towards me. I didn't move, I just sat looking at him. Willing him to believe it was me.  
"You're a persistent hallucination. Just like she would be." He coughed, and it sounded painful. I looked to the guard.

"Can you get him some water?" I asked gesturing to Jack.  
"We're not supposed to…" The guard began, shifting and looking uncomfortable. Suddenly a voice came from one of the speakers up in the corner.  
"It's fine Jeremy, get the Joker some water." I recognised the voice of Dr. Jenkinson. Jack was still coughing, and Jeremy, went out of the room to retrieve a bottle of water. We were silent as he stepped out, the only noise was the Joker coughing.  
He soon returned and placed the bottle on the table near me. I rolled my eyes; couldn't he give it to Jack himself? I unscrewed the top and passed it to Jack. He hesitantly reached towards me and took the bottle, his fingers brushed slightly on mine and stayed there. His eyes went a little wide, but he soon covered it up. I let go of the water bottle and he gratefully took a big gulp of it.

"Is it really you?" He asked quietly. I nodded my head, still paranoid about the audience we had.  
"I thought you were dead." He looked me over as if he still couldn't believe I was alive. Maybe still believing his mind was torturing him.  
"I'm not." I returned his gaze, he had changed so much in such a short amount of time.  
"I can see that." He smiled a little as we repeated the first thing I said to him after finding out he was alive. Only this time it was the other way around. Ironic.  
"Now we're even." I smiled a little back but only for a second. Hoping Batman wouldn't pick up on the 'now we're even.'

"I held you as you died. You were bleeding. They covered you with a sheet." His eyebrows were furrowing, replaying the moment in his head.  
But I could only shrug my shoulders. Even though all I wanted to do was reach across the table and hold his hand.  
"I don't remember much from that night. But doctors told me I did die for a couple of seconds. They got me back and now I'm as good as new." My hand went to the scar I now had. "Except another scar to add to the collection." I pulled my top down slightly, so he could see the scar and he nodded looking at it but then turned his cheeks to the side.  
"Mine are bigger." He joked, and I had to try not to smile. I wasn't supposed to like him, Batman was watching.  
I caught his eyes and shifted them behind me, mouthing 'Bat' and Jack got the message and stopped his joking. His eyes momentarily going to the glass. They couldn't see me whispering to him, I hoped. We both sat back in our chairs. I would have been worried about the guard, but he was looking off into the distance, lost in his own world. Obviously, he wasn't here by choice. And was trying to convince himself of that. I wondered where he day dreamed he was?

"So, back from the dead." He sighed as he couldn't take his eyes off me. I forgot how his eyes could bore into you, like he could see your soul. Even if most people didn't believe he had one.  
"It would appear so." I nodded. Not knowing what else was safe to say. I wanted to be alone with Jack. So, we could really talk. But I didn't think that would happen. We sat in silence, both studying the others face.

"Rory, ask him if he knows where he is." Dr. Jenkinson came over the speakers again. Both our eyes went to the speaker and then met again over the table. I had a small smirk on my lips.  
"Do you know where you are?" I asked parroting the Dr's words.  
"No idea." Jacks replied pulling on the chains around his wrists. I turned around to the mirror and looking where I thought Dr. Jenkinson might be and said. "He doesn't know."

"Ask him, if he knows who he is." Her voice came again, and I couldn't help but roll my eyes. But only after I turned back to Jack.  
"Do you know who you are?" I asked, and Jack looked toward the mirror behind me and stared for a second. His eyes came back me briefly, giving me a small smile before he looked back to the mirror.

"I'm the Joker." He wrenched the chains and even gave me a fright at the sudden noise. "I'm the Joker, I'm in Arkham asylum!" He was yelling and standing pulling on the chains. I didn't move, just sat watching him. "And I want OUT!" He bellowed and began to pull on the chains, harder. The whole table rattled with the force.  
The guard seemed to remember his job and quickly jumped onto the Jokers backs and tried to shove him back in the chair. But even cuffed Jack was fighting back. He kicked the chair to the other side of the room, skidding past the table and slamming into the wall next to me. I just sat and watched. I knew it was for show. I knew that because Jack had his eyes on me. He was looking into my eyes as I looked back, silently communicating what we couldn't say out loud.

Suddenly Dr. Jenkinson came into the room with a needle, she uncapped it and slid it effortlessly into Jacks arm. Jacks body went rigid and then suddenly relaxed. He slumped in the guards arm the fight had gone out of him. Does she just keep a needle to hand? A scary thought. Dr Jenkinson put the needle back in her white coat and put a hand on my arm pulling me up and out of the door. I stood up and let her lead me.  
"Rory." My eyes went to Jack as he said my name. I tried to keep my face passive, as if him saying my name so weakly didn't break my heart.  
"Goodbye Joker." I turned and walked out of the room. I knew this wasn't the last time I would see Jack.

As I came out Dr Jenkinson was at my side.  
"That was amazing, not a word for months. You go in and have him talking in seconds." She smiled and put her hands on her hips. "It's a breakthrough." Batman came out of the room Dr Jenkinson and himself had been watching in and he looked at me with distrustful eyes.  
"Yes, how remarkable." He said watching me, I caught the tone in his voice even if the Dr hadn't. I ignored his eyes, he obviously knew there was more to the story and he didn't like not knowing, but I wasn't about to lay out my life story for him to dissect to satisfy his damned curiosity. I wasn't a jigsaw.  
"How did you do it Rory?" Dr Jenkinson asked and there must be a god because that second my phone began to ring. I took it out my pocket and tried to look apologetic.  
"I'm so sorry, I have to take this." I looked at the caller ID and it was Gordon. Oh shit.

"Hello." I answered and then remembered I was sick, I coughed a little to try and salvage the lie.  
"Just me. Was at the store wondered if you wanted some medication." He asked, and I felt small stabs of guilt again.  
"Do they have anything for colds?" I asked trying to not think about how bad a person I was.  
"I'll go ask. Anyway, I'm heading round in a couple of minutes." Gordon said distracted.  
"Couple of minutes?" I squeaked. It wasn't 5:30!  
"Your throat doesn't sound good." He replied concerned.  
"Maybe get me some strepsils, see you soon." I hung up and grabbed Batman's arm.  
"We need to go." I whispered but I smiled sweetly as Dr. Jenkinson. "So sorry, something's come up, we need to head off." I was gripping Batman's arm, hopefully he couldn't feel it through the Kevlar. I was sinking my nails in, but I think they were hurting me more than the suit.  
"But, but I have so many questions." She tried but Gordon scared me more than defying social niceties.  
"Email me." I pulled Batman and we begun to walk out of the asylum.  
"I don't have your email!" She called after us, but I was dragging Batman out.

As soon as we got to his car I jumped in and hurried him.  
"Gordon is on his way home now, come on step on it." I was slamming my feet as if I controlled the car, just a reflex. Batman said nothing but sped through the streets and had me home in record time. He was about to say something, but I leapt out the car and ran to my door.

Bye Batman. Just as I was about to put my key in, Gordon opened my door. I stood there guiltily and watched Gordons eyes follow Batman's car pulling past and speeding away.

"Who was that?" Gordon asked as I stood there, key still in hand and hovering in the air.  
"I don't want to lie to you." I began chewing on my lips, nervous.  
"Then don't." His voice was strict, and I wondered if this is what having parents who care felt like.  
"Can we talk inside?" I gestured past him and he let me in. To my own home. Shutting the door quietly behind me. I went into the kitchen. "Tea?" I asked, my high-pitched voice giving my guilt away. As if me coming home, looking remarkably not ill didn't.

"What don't you want to lie to me about?" Gordon persisted coming into the kitchen behind me. Arms folded and stern look.  
"Ok, but if I tell you, you can't be mad." I tried but he just stared at me. His look saying, 'I already am.'  
"I pretended to be sick today. So, I could go with Batman." I said this all very slowly, as if taking my time would make him less angry.  
"And what did he want?" He asked, his voice tight. I did toy with the idea of saying 'a date' but only I would find that funny…  
"He wanted me to talk to someone." His eyes stayed on me and I sighed. "He wanted me to talk to the Joker."  
He didn't say anything for a few seconds, I was about to ask him if he was okay when he suddenly spoke up.

"I'm going to kill him." He began to walk to my front door and I chased after him.  
"Who?" I asked, unsure who he was angrier at. Joker or Batman?  
"I told him, I said no. He never listens to me." Gordon was mumbling to himself as he put on his jacket.  
"Gordon, please." I tried but he turned to the door and slammed it as he left.  
I was too emotionally drained to chase after him, let him punch the Batman, who cares he can defend himself. I sighed and kicked off my shoes and jacket. I was going to go upstairs to bed, but I only had the energy to go over to the sofa and fall onto it.  
A cat would make me feel better right about now.  
I didn't want to think of Gordon being angry at me, or the Batman treating me like a criminal, or Dr Jenkinson and her freaky curiosity, or Jack saying my name so defeated, turning my back on him.

So instead I imagined a cat.  
I began to imagine a life with a cat, what I would call them, male or female, what colour they would be, whether they were social or hated everyone. If I thought about another life, it meant I didn't have to deal with my own. I was someone else now, someone who had a cat.

I would get a girl, a little turtle shell kitty. She would be called Tilly. She would love cuddles, to the point where she would jump on my face in the middle of the night for attention. But she would purr on my lap when I was sad and climb my curtains when I was trying to clean. Bite my toes in the middle of the night but bring me toys to play with her. I would tell everyone she was a demon cat, but really, she was an angel. She would greet me as soon as I came in the door but play as soon as I left. She was never sad, she was a great cat. She would make me feel better. 

This new life with my new cat sent me into a peaceful sleep.

Where there was no Batman or Joker.

It was me, Jack, Gordon, and a new little kitty cat.

I fooled myself into thinking everything was alright.

When it definitely was not.


	5. Chapter 5

*Author note*  
So, just a quick question. Do ya'll like the different p.o.v? (Points of view.) I like writing them because I feel it breaks up the spacing, gets a different perspective on the story playing out. But do you like them? And sorry, only a short chapter today, but I have more just waiting. Sound off in the reviews let me know if you like it.

Batman's p.o.v

Bruce was making his way through the Batcave after arriving back. He was already out of his bat suit by the time Gordon called his cell. Bruce sighed as he picked it up.  
"Gordon." He tried but soon Gordon interrupted him, yelling down the phone.  
"I said no Bruce!" He yelled, Bruce held the phone a little away from his ear. But could still hear Gordon yelling. "I say no, so what do you do? You do it anyway! Why can't you see what I'm trying to do here?!" Bruce put the phone back to his ear as he made his way up to the mansion.

"And what are you trying to do Gordon?" Bruce asked.  
"I'm trying to keep Rory safe! And she was, the Joker had no idea she was even alive. And then you come in and ruin it! Ruin months of me keeping reporters away, keeping her close so I can watch her. And for what!?"  
"Jim, we all want to keep her safe." Bruce tried but Gordon wasn't having it.  
"So, you take her to the man who kidnapped her? The man who probably tortured her, who brainwashed her. Who knows what that sick mad man did to her. She's so traumatised by it, she won't say a word about it. Not even to me. But you take her right to him." Gordon sighed, and Bruce had to keep his tongue quiet. He wanted to tell Gordon that she was more than willing to go see the Joker, he hardly dragged her there. But that wouldn't do anything to calm Gordon down.

"Jim, I had to try." Bruce pushed the door open and Alfred was on the other side, with a fresh set of clothes waiting for him. Bruce took them gratefully and began to pull on the black jogging set.  
"The Doctor said it could help him."  
"I don't care about helping that psychopath!" Gordon was shouting again. "Let him rot in a padded cell. I only care about my wife, my kids and Rory. If you pull another stunt like this one Bruce, I swear to god, I'll shoot you." Gordon hung up the phone and Bruce let it fall out of his hand and to the floor. So, what if it smashed? He could buy apple.

He sighed and slumped down in the nearest chair. Weary from his morning. Give him a pack of bloodthirsty criminals any day.  
He was right about today. It just raised for questions than answers.  
He seen Joker yesterday, not speaking a single word, eyes unfocused and staring at nothing. But five minutes with Rory in the room and he is chatting like he is catching up with an old friend.  
This was not a normal kidnapper and hostage relationship, there was something more, something deeper.

Were they romantically involved? It has happened, Stockholm syndrome. Make the victim empathise with the kidnapper, they form a relationship. The victim remains loyal, was that what was happening? He had thought that, the night on the roof, but it seemed Joker was just as attached to her as she was to him.  
But then again today, she seemed impassive to seeing him. Even numb, she didn't even react when he began to act out. Throwing his chair and rattling the chains and the table. Dr Jenkinson had more of a reaction, running out of the room, needle in hand. Rory just sat there, watching, as still as marble.  
He would have expected her to get a shock, run to the door crying to be let out. But nothing. Not even a flinch.

Bruce ran a hand over his face. He would need to talk to Rory again. He was getting no answers by just thinking about it. He grabbed his phone from the floor and quickly dialled Rory's number. It was on his private number, but it rang out.  
The voicemail came on and he didn't bother leaving a message. He sighed again, no wonder she isn't picking up. She is probably angry at him. But he was used to that.

Alfred came back into the room, gesturing to the dining room.  
"I have set the table master Bruce." Bruce made himself get up, even though he wanted to sleep.  
"Thank you Alfred." He sighed and padded past his butler.  
"Did today not go as smoothly as you hoped?" Alfred asked, pulling out the chair as Bruce took the seat.  
"Was it that obvious?" Bruce asked, picking up his fork and shovelling the food into his mouth. Not realising how hungry he had been.  
"No, sir. But even I could hear Jim Gordon shouting down the telephone." Alfred quirked an eyebrow but said nothing else. Bruce smiled, and Alfred left the room, going back into the kitchen.  
Bruce thought a little more about Rory and the Joker, it was obvious he needed to talk to her. But he wondered if the Joker was willing to talk now. His silence was broken.  
Would it stay that way?

Bruce quickly finished his meal and pushed the chair back. Alfred came out of the kitchen briefly at the noise.  
"Going so soon master Bruce?" He asked.  
"Duty calls." Bruce shrugged and pointed to the Batcave.  
"Why does duty never call after dessert?" Alfred let the door swing closed again as he went back into the kitchen. Bruce smiled and went back down the steps he had only went up, minutes before.

He was going to pay the Joker another visit. See if he was quite as eager to talk to him as he was to Rory.


	6. Chapter 6

Batman's p.o.v

Joker was not as eager to talk to Batman.

He sat silent on the other end of the table.  
"I don't want to talk to you. I want to talk to her." He said, the drugs still in his system made his voice low and his lips heavy. Batman didn't think it was going to be that easy.  
"Too bad Joker, she doesn't want to talk to you." Batman lied, if he asked he was sure Rory would come and talk again. It seemed the Joker knew this because he scoffed.  
"Sure Batsy." He leaned back, sliding down his chair. The cuffs stopping him from going anywhere else. "Whatever you say." He chuckled, and Batman had to clench his teeth. Why does he have to be difficult?

"Come on Joker, I thought we were sides to the same coin?" Batman tried, repeating a line Joker had said to him. Trying everything he could to get him to talk, usually the problem with the Joker was getting him to shut his damn mouth. "Let's talk."  
"I want Rory." Was all he said. Batman sighed, he should have guess it wouldn't be this easy, so he decided to talk about Rory.  
"Strange choice Joker." The Jokers eyes blinked and looked to Batman. He didn't say anything, but Batman knew he had his attention now.  
"Not who I would have thought you would go for." Batman folded his arms. "A nobody girl. She doesn't have a record, she hadn't lived in Gotham for years. So, what was she? A victim of opportunity? Met you by some stroke of bad luck down a dark alley?" Batman asked, he could see the Joker narrow his eyes. He was getting to him.  
"Imagine that, come back to Gotham and she had the bad luck to meet you." Batman shook his head and chuckled darkly. "Bet she wishes she never came back."  
The joker growled. "Shut your mouth." He was sitting straight in his chair, eyes boring a hole in Batman. But that only made Bruce smile.

"What's wrong Joker? Am I mistaken?" Bruce goaded but it was the wrong thing to say. Joker suddenly relaxed, smirking at Bruce.  
"So, that's why you're here?" Joker asked, damn it, Bruce thought as his smile slipped away. The Joker chuckled. "The mystery you can't figure out, why I picked her." Joker relaxed in his chair again, finding out the real reason Batman was here. "Oh, I bet it really pisses you off that you can't figure it out. Batsy has a puzzle but not all the pieces."  
"Just tell me Joker." Batman tried, trying not to sound too interested. But the jig was up.  
"And ruin all the fun? Now why would I do that?" He looked Batman up and down, a chuckle coming from him. "It's more fun to watch you squirm."

He laughed again and banged his cuffed hands on the table.  
"I'm ready to go back to my cell doc." He continued to bang his fists. Making as much noise as he could. A guard came in seconds later.  
"Sorry Batman, Doctor says I got to take him back." The guard apologised, and Batman nodded. But just before he left, the Joker turned back to Batman.  
"Next time bring the girl." He smirked and let the guard take him out of the room, chuckling all the way down the hall. Batman sat in his chair and glared the seat the Joker had been sitting in. Batman pounded a fist on the table, angry that he wasn't able to get the information he wanted.

"Didn't go as well as this morning?" Dr Jenkinson came into the room. Holding the door open.  
"No." Batman replied getting up and joining her in the hallway.  
He was about to leave when the Dr stopped him.  
"Batman, I was hoping you could get me in touch with Rory?" She asked with a smile. Bruce was a little confused.  
"I didn't know the Joker was your patient." He knew Dr Jenkinson was overseeing the case, but only as a managerial role. Not actually interacting with him or his case, although she had been the one to speak to about arranging a visit. He thought it was a doctor, something or other. He could never remember names.  
"Dr Stevens was on it." She said, Stevens that was the name. "But I took it over, it's frankly fascinating and I believed it needed more an experienced eye. Someone with my expertise. So, do you know how I can reach Rory?" Batman was unsure about giving this doctor her number. But maybe she could find out what happened. If nothing else, it might just be an annoyance to Rory. Which didn't bother him.

"Sure, her number is…" Batman read out the number, the one thing he was good at remembering. Names, nothing. Numbers he could remember.  
She jotted down the number and smiled up at Batman. "Thank you very much." She tore of the paper of put it in her breast pocket.  
"Will you keep me updated if you make any progress?" Batman asked. Dr Jenkinson nodded.  
"Of course, Batman." She turned on her heel and walked off to her office he assumed. Batman left and headed back home. He couldn't get anything from the Joker, but Rory was the key to cracking him. If only Batman knew why.

He just hoped this didn't blow up in his face.

But if past experience is anything to go by. It would.

It always did…


	7. Chapter 7

*Authors note*  
*Ok, for some reason I thought with absolute certainty Commissioner Gordon's wife was named Mary. I have no idea why, but I thought it was fact ha-ha. After Google, I have discovered it is not. But I've already used Mary, so let's just go with it .. Also, in TDK he has a daughter and a son, but the son is the only one with a name, so we'll be naming his daughter ha-ha. Sorry gang, the plot holes only deepen. Anyway, here's the new chapter. I know I only updated yesterday, but it was only a 900 or so words chapter, so you beautiful people get another. So… Hope you're loving it, let me know in the reviews 3 love you guys. *

"Why the hell is my phone ringing?" I mumbled to myself. I flailed around before my hand hit my phone. I only cracked one eye open enough to find the red rejection option. Call me when I'm awake. I thought as I hung up. I put my phone back down and went back into my comfortable position. Only to hear my phone again. I groaned loudly and grabbed my phone. Ready to give the person on the other end an earful, unless someone was dead. Or something was on fire. Or if someone was on fire and dead.

"Hello?!" I croaked, coughing loudly when my voice broke.  
"Rory? Hello?" Wait I recognise that voice.  
"Dr Jenkinson?" I asked, rubbing my eyes and yawning loudly. Why was she calling me, how did she get my number was maybe a better question?  
"Yes, good evening." Dr Jenkinson chuckled, and I thought it was anything but funny.  
"How did you get my number?" I asked, irritated. Did I leave it at the front desk? I didn't think so.  
"Batman came by just before to see the Joker. He gave me it, told me if I had any question I could call, and you would be happy to help." She said, next time I see Batman I'm going to punch him straight in his cowled face. The point of Gordon getting me a new phone and number was, so I didn't get calls from random people.

"I'm not sure how much I can help." Or how much I want to. I laid back down on the sofa.  
"Oh, well, I have a questionnaire. I was wondering if you could fill it out for me?" I inwardly groaned, regretting even offering any help.  
"Erm, sure?" I sighed, rolling my eyes.  
"Great! If you could just text me your email address and I can send it over." She sounded extremely enthusiastic about this and I was worried what kind of questions she was going to ask.  
"I'll do it now." I conceded defeat. My phone number, my email address, what else does she want? My social security numbers?

I didn't wait for a goodbye and just hung up.  
Rude? Maybe. But she woke me up. As I hung up my phone displayed 15 missed calls all from her number. I saved the number quickly as 'Dr Jenkinson, don't pick up.' It was childish but hey, she wouldn't see it.  
She sure was an eager bunny, 15 missed calls? I must have really needed the sleep if I slept through all of them. I text her my email and nearly instantly my phone buzzed again. New email. Was she inhumanly fast or I was just slow? She seemed to do everything at break neck speed and with an incessant urgency. It was annoying. I didn't open the email, I was too tired and didn't feel like getting my laptop from upstairs to fill it in. It was so far away, and I think I would give up halfway up, end up stranded on the middle of the stairs.  
I was distracted and didn't initially hear my front door opening. I did turn when Gordon called out to me though.

"Oh Gordon." I smiled but then remember his outburst from earlier. My smile dropped, and I looked into his eyes, did he still look ready to kill someone? Was that someone now me? I literally just died, I don't deserve to die again. Once is all people usually get.  
He looked surprised when my head popped up from the back of the couch and he shut the door behind him. Putting something metallic down too, but my eyes were fixed on him.  
"Look, earlier." He looked sheepish. "I'm sorry, I wasn't angry at you." Could have fooled me, but I let him continue. "I was angry at Batman for even taking you. I thought you realised how dangerous the Joker was Rory. I thought we were on the same page?" He came to the sofa and I tucked in my legs, so he could perch on the end.  
"We are." I tried, but I didn't even believe that. "I know that he's dangerous Jim, trust me, I do." I didn't say that I had seen him kill, seen him angry. But I couldn't bring myself to think that he would hurt me. "It's just, Batman said that maybe I could help." I was throwing Batman under the bus here but hell, he told the doctor I was happy to help. So, screw him.

"I know. But don't you see Rory? You don't need to protect him, you need to be protected from him." Gordon held one of my hands in his own. "Let me protect you." He pleaded, sincerity in his words. I didn't know what to say to him, so I stayed silent.  
"After the explosion, when I thought you had died." Gordon looked away, his voice thick with emotion and it pulled at my heart strings. I never knew Gordon was alive all that time, looking for me, grieving for me. "I can't go through that again Rory." I could feel the tears welling up at the back of my eyes. I squeezed Gordons hand.  
"He told me you had died too." I admitted, Gordon turned back to me.  
"That's what he does. He finds your weakness and he exploits it. Even locked up, he's still a threat to you Rory. Please promise me you won't see him again."

I wanted to tell Gordon everything, tell him that the Joker was Jack, tell him that I still loved him. I wanted to tell him, so I could talk to him, so he would understand what I'm going through. That I couldn't never see him again, we had shared a lifetime. I couldn't just let that go.

But the words died in my throat. He wouldn't be able to understand.  
No one would. He wasn't Jack to Gordon, that boy died. He wouldn't even believe it, he would say the Joker was playing with my mind, that he couldn't possibly be the boy I loved all those years ago. I instead nodded, if I keep pretending everything's alright, maybe it really will be.

"I'm sorry Jim. I won't go again." Jim smiled as I said that, he wiped at a tear that fell down my cheeks. And sighed in relief.  
"Thank you, Rory. Oh, I nearly forgot." He stood back up and went to the door, bringing back what he put on the floor before.  
"It was open, and we had to check it wasn't the Jokers." Jim put the old lockbox in my lap. I stared at it before registering that it was mine. "I wouldn't have looked but, procedure. I'm so sorry about Jack Rory." I lifted the lid and all those precious memories were still there. Safe and sound in an ancient box.  
"It's ok." I was distracted by the photos. I had shown this to Jack, the night of the rooftop. I thought it wouldn't have survived. "Thank you for bringing it back to me." I couldn't stop another tear running down my cheek. The box was covered on the outside in a thick layer of ash and dust. I might have to buy another, but then again, it was another memory. I don't think I could part with it.  
"Come on, Mary is cooking a meatloaf. I know you like it." I tried to smile, and Jim tugged me up. I had slept in my clothes, so I slid my shoes on and let him pull me to his house.

I knew Jim wouldn't understand, how could he when he only had half the story.  
And the other half I could never tell him. I could never tell anyone.  
No-one understood but Jack and I.  
And I'm not sure if Jack is even mine anymore.  
Who is he more of? Jack or Joker?

I was jolted out of my thoughts as Mary came out of the kitchen and enveloped me in a hug.  
"Dear! Jim said you weren't feeling very well." She pulled away and then held me at arm's length and looked into my face. "You do look a little flushed." She was so concerned and I silently thanked Jim for not telling her I lied.  
"I'm feeling better now." I tried to smile, which she returned. Ushering me into a seat next to her daughter, Leah. And across from James.  
"Hi guys." I smiled at both of them. I got comfortable and waited for Mary to come back. Jim sat at the head of the table and gave me a smile.  
"You feeling up to coming to work tomorrow?" He asked.  
"I'm actually not feeling well." I smiled when he glared playfully at me.  
"Don't worry commissioner, I shall show up for duty." I mock saluted him and little James copied me. I laugh as his children started saluting their father. As Gordon told them to stop they just kept doing it, until their mother came in.  
"What're you guys doing?" She asked, meatloaf in oven mitted hands. The kids stopped and sat with poker straight backs in their chairs.  
"Nothing mum." They said in unison.

As we ate, I let myself believe all this was mine. That I had a mum and dad, a brother and sister. That I had a family. That cared if I was sick, cared what I did, cared if I was safe, cared if I was happy.  
A little family, an Ohana. Oh no, does that make me Stitch? What does that make Jim, Lilo? I smiled thinking of Jim in a dress and dancing to Elvis Presley records. Which who knows, could've happened in his college days.

I ate happily, meatloaf around the table with all the family. A cliché American scene right out of feel good movie. But it was all I had ever wanted.

All that would complete it would be Jack. Not Joker, my Jack. My moody, jealous, intelligent, funny Jack. The boy I loved more than anyone, that I still love. But having him here was nearly as impossible as me fooling myself that this would ever really be mine. I would always be an outsider, a stray. But for now, I can trick myself, eat meatloaf and pretend I was part of this.

Pretend Gordon was my over protective father.

Pretend Mary was my caring mother.

Pretend James was my annoying little brother.

Pretend Leah was my even more annoying little sister.

Pretend Jack was running late. That he would be here soon.

My own little fantasy. Maybe it wasn't as imaginative as flying, or going to the moon, or being a cowboy in the wild-wild west. But this was my dream for as long as I could remember. Having people around me who loved me, who cared for me, who gave a damn if I was alive or dead.

Not a drug addled mother, half paralytic who made me feel like nothing.

Not an abusive father, who tried to kill me and beat me.

Not the Joker. Who kidnapped me, killed men in front of me, tied me up and locked me away.

This life would never be mine.

This normal, cliché, ordinary, run of the mill life. With normal parents and siblings. The everyday that I could never have. People don't know how lucky they are to be completely ordinary. To have this normal life.

No Batman, No Joker, No Arkham Asylum.

Just a family filled with love.

How nice that would be.


	8. Chapter 8

"Bye Mary! Thanks for supper!" I called as Gordon walked me out of the door. He followed me to my front door.  
"So, tomorrow 9 a.m. sharp?" Gordon asked as I unlocked my door and stepped over the threshold.  
"Yes sir." I smiled and looked down at the floor. "I'm sorry again Gordon."  
I felt a hand on my shoulder, bringing me toward Gordon as he wrapped me in a hug.  
I let him and wrapped my arms around him too.  
"It's ok Rory. I'm just glad you're safe." He stepped away and smiled warmly. "How about we keep you that way?" He chuckled, and I smiled along with him.  
"I'll try Gordon." I shook my head thinking, 'I don't need to go looking for trouble, it always seems to find me.'  
"9 a.m. or I'll be dragging you out of bed." He warned me with an accusing finger.  
"I don't doubt that. Night Jim." I called as I shut my door. I went straight up to bed, knowing Gordon wasn't joking about dragging me out of bed. He had a key. He would do it. I chuckled as I imagined it. I just hoped it wasn't going to become a reality.

Before I turned off the light my eyes went to the balcony. Paranoid I would find Batman standing there again. It was empty, of course it was. But the niggling feeling didn't leave me, even as I locked the door and drew the curtains, I still felt eyes on me. I got into bed, trying to think about anything but being dragged further into the insanity of Gotham.

Clowns, Bats, a city steeped in crime and murder.

Home sweet home, right?

"GORDON!" I yelled, kicking the god damn copier as if it owed me money.  
"Yes Rory?" Jim stuck his head around the door, a smile on his face as he took in the sight before him. Paper strewn on the floor, ink running down my trousers and the printer, was it smoking?  
"This copier is going to be the god damn death of me." I grinded my teeth as I stared it down. One of us was going to die, I had already died once. I should get a reprieve from the Grim Reaper, surely.  
Gordon just laughed and opened the door fully. "Stop assaulting it. I've called maintenance, they'll come and fix it." He motioned for me to follow him and I did, after giving the damn machine one more kick. Try me bitch.

"How about we take a break?" Gordon asks as he shuts the door on the damn bi-polar printer. As I resisted the urge to go in with a bat and show it who was boss. War against machines, that damn thing is the first I'm going for.  
Sadistic bucket of wires.  
"Sure." I agreed, following Gordon to the break room. I went straight for the coffee machine needing a caffeine rush to keep me from a murderous rage. As I pressed the button, a red light flashed.

You're fucking with me. I groaned loudly, and Jim came up behind me.  
"Are we out?" He asks, unusually chipper. Or maybe it seemed usual since I was so ratty. I wasn't usually, but last night I could hardly sleep. Plagued by nightmares of I'm sure it's not surprise. Joker and Batman. I couldn't decide who scared me more. They were both pretty imposing.  
"It was full this morning." Gordon tried. Giving the machine a tap and tried hitting the button again.  
"Gordon, you run a precinct with 40 over worked and under paid officers. Of course, the machine is out of coffee beans. What do you think they run on? Community spirit and kittens up tree's?" I quirked an eyebrow as Gordon laughed at me. He nodded and shrugged.  
"I guess so."

"I'll go get the refill." I conceded. Maybe I'll go kick the copier again for good luck. But Gordon held up a hand.  
"I'll go, I need to talk to detective Williams anyway." He handed me my laptop. Where did he pull out that from…? "Why don't you do some work?" He flashed me a cheeky smile.  
"What do you think I've been doing all morning?" I asked with a gasp. The disrespect. But I laughed as Gordon ignored me and left the break room. Taking my laptop, I took the cleanest table and started it up. I decided to check my email first, maybe Gordons emailed me some documents to check. When I opened my inbox, there was only one email. From Dr. Jenkinson. Oh boy, here we go.

'Hello Rory.  
There is an attachment to this email, containing the questionnaire I asked you to fill in. Any information you can provide would be invaluable in his recovery and rehabilitation. Please get back to me as soon as you can.'

Oh, poor Dr Jenkinson, if only you could see he is playing you like a fiddle. Weren't they trained to not fall for Sociopathic tricks? I opened the attached document and was not surprised when the word document was 16 pages long.  
Are you fucking kidding me? I browsed through the first page and decided to fill in some of the questionnaire at least. Even if just for a laugh.

'Forename: The  
Middle name: God damn  
Surname: Joker  
Date of birth: Unknown  
Blood type: How should I know that?  
Occupation: Terror of Gotham  
Height: Tall  
Weight: Skinny Kate Moss with pecs.  
Medical history: Gets shot, a lot.'

I laughed as I filled in, if the doctor expected any actual answers from me, she should have known better. As far as she knew I was kidnapped and kept with the Joker for a week? Why the fuck would I know his blood type? I mean I did, he was O negative, but why did she expect me to know that?

I could remember when I did go with Jack to the doctor, much to his displeasure. Filling out the long forms just so we could see someone, he of course didn't have insurance. But we managed to scrape enough between us to cover it.  
He had the flu pretty bad. And I had been at his bedside for a full week, missing school, which Jack didn't seem to mind. Every time his fever spiked I put a cold cloth on his head, I would make him chicken soup and feed it to him, went out to the pharmacy and got everything I could for the flu. When I finally asked him when the last time he had had a flu shot was, he stared at me blankly. What was that? No wonder. That's when I dragged him out of my bed, and to the doctors. And I had to fill in form after form. Asking me much of the same questions Dr Jenkinson was. I had filled them out and could still remember the questions I gave then.

'Forename: Jack  
Middle name: William  
Surname: Napier  
Date of birth: 08.03.1980  
Blood type: O-  
Occupation: Student  
Height: 6 01'  
Weight: 140 pounds  
Medical history: No previous flu shots.'

He had moaned and complained after every question but had answered them. After we got some medication for his flu and a flu shot, I took him home and he was right as rain after another 4 days of missed school. I smiled at the memory. At the time it wasn't a happy memory, he annoyed the ever-loving Mother Teresa out of me. But now it was cherished because it was a simpler time. A happier time. I tried to forget about the past for now and got back to the questionnaire Dr Jenkinson had sent me. It was some more medical questions that I didn't know the answers to or were absurd to answer. Like 'Identifiable marks.' Erm two giant ones on his cheeks. But I think she meant tattoos or other scars.

The next portion of the questionnaire.  
'Rory, this is Dr. Jenkinson. I would like you to use this space to discuss your time with the Joker.  
-Detailing the time you were kidnapped, any reasons you could identify as factors leading to this would be helpful.  
-The location where you kept and the manner in which you were kept. Were you restrained or kept in a room. Were there other hostages? Any identifiable location markers? Possibly gang signs or graffiti?  
-Did he discuss his past with you? Possible trauma or triggers that led to his life as the Joker? Was there childhood abuse he discussed with you, possible traumatic events that led to psychosis?  
-Was there an opportunity to escape or were you given the option to leave?  
-When leaving the Joker, how did it happen?'

I finished reading, with a newfound hatred for Dr Jenkinson. She was utterly ridiculous. I quickly typed up something that didn't sound too much like I wanted to hit her with a pole. She was on my shit list now though. Right under that copier.  
But why did she want to know the details for? What could this possibly do for Jacks mental health? Why did it matter if I was restrained? Or graffiti on the walls? It seemed less to do with Jack or more for Dr Jenkinson's morbid curiosity and fascination with the Joker.

'Dr Jenkinson, this is Rory.  
-I was kidnapped from my hotel room. No dark alley, no bank, no seedy underground fight club or mob club.  
-Why? I do not know. Ask him.  
-I was kept in a dirty unfurnished room, with only the floor to sleep on.  
-I was alone, restrained at times, and I didn't look at any gang décor or graffiti. I had more pressing matters on my mind.  
-He didn't discuss any trauma or abuse with me. I'm not sure why he would.  
-If there had been an opportunity to escape or a choice I would have taken it. But there was not.  
-I left the Joker in a body bag.'

I saved the document and attached it to an email to Dr Jenkinson. It wasn't finished but, who cares.  
'Dr Jenkinson. I have completed what I could of your email. The rest was simply too traumatic for me to finish.' I scoffed as I typed. Traumatic was kind of accurate. What was she expecting from me? A full medical and personal history of the Joker? A filled in 20-page questionnaire of his life?  
As far as she or anyone else knew I had no connection to the Joker previously or during our time. As far as she knew it was the worst week of my life and she wanted to dissect it and inspect every inch of it. Did she really have a degree in psychology? Who the hell gave her that diploma? Was it a joke?

I wasn't surprised when an email came back in record time. I opened it hoping she was telling me that I was of no further use. But no such luck.

'Thank you for your answers to my questionnaire Rory. Although they have yielded not much in regard to facts previously known. I appreciate going over the events of your kidnapping are difficult for you, but it is crucial for me to tell her any details you could remember. Even something that seems inconsequential could be critical in The Jokers recovery. It would seem you are a key factor in helping him heal.  
Regards, Dr B Jenkinson.'

I decided not to email her back, so I shut down my laptop and tried to relax. But then my phone started buzzing. For the love of sweet baby Jesus. What now? I fished it out of my pocket with a groan.

It was Dr Jenkinson. I tried to ignore them, I really did. But after more texts came through from her asking to check my email. I decided I had enough. I switched my phone off. Let the crazy Dr tire herself on my voicemail. I was done with the craziness today.

I let my head rest of the break room table. When I woke up in that hospital bed I thought I had been given a second chance at life. I promised this time it would be different, but here I was again, being dragged into the insanity I was trying to leave behind. I was naïve to think I could ignore it and move on. Gotham was the kind of city that once it had it claws in you, you either let it devour you or it would rip you to shreds. No one leaves unscathed.

And I defiantly wasn't the same girl I had been when I first moved here. I had nearly died in this city twice now. Once in the basement of my home, once on a rooftop that had once been mine and Jacks sanctuary. Was I destined to stay here forever, keep collecting scars from the city? Until I finally die. Who knows how? It wouldn't be by old age, I know that for damn sure.

A nice quiet retirement home wasn't in the cards for me.  
What is it they say? The good die young? Well, the dumb die even younger and I was being pretty dumb. Or at least I was for staying here so long. But like I said.

Gotham has it claws in me, and those claws sink deep. If I tried to escape a second time. I'm not sure I would survive. There was no out now. I would die in this city. I just didn't know how.


	9. Chapter 9

"Rory?" I heard from the doorway. My head snapped up to see Gordon, holding a bag of coffee beans and his phone. "I've been trying to call you?" He went over to the coffee machine and I tried to let my brain catch up. Phone? Oh, I turned it off to avoid Dr Psycho.  
"It ran out of charge?" I lied, more easily than I would have liked.  
Gordon nodded and pointed to the machine. "Do I put the beans in here?" He asked, pointing to a part that you most certainly did not put the coffee beans in. I took the bag off him and put it in the correct spot. He let me make the coffee as he sat back down.  
"Ran out of charge?" He questioned as I made the coffee. I turned, as he picked up my phone. Don't press the power button, don't press the power button for the sake of my hammering heart. After pressing the home screen, a couple of times, he seemed satisfied and put it down. "Did you forget to charge it?" He asked with a grin.

"Must have a broken power cord." I shrugged, "I'll check tonight." I finished the coffee and brought it over to the table he had sat down at. Taking my phone and stowing it in my pocket, away from the great detective Gordon. He smiled as I handed him a coffee and sat down with my own. I sighed in relief as I sipped the hot tar that passed for coffee around here. It may taste like crap, but it keeps me awake.  
"So, maintenance won't be here until tonight." Gordon piped up as we had both been silent as we let the coffee wake us up again.  
"We could just set the copier on fire?" I suggested, apparently Gordon thought I was joking as he laughed.  
"You want to copy all my letters out by hand?" He asked, and I laughed.  
"Maybe then people would actually be able to read it." I joked, poking his arm. "Your handwriting is like trying to decipher hieroglyphics." I laughed again when he looked at me, mock aghast.  
"My handwriting is perfectly legible." He tried but I snorted in laughter.  
"If you're a chicken." He shook his head and furrowed his eyebrows.  
"Don't make me fire you." He scolded playfully.  
"Oh please Jim, you'd be lost without me!" He then joined in my laughter with a chuckle.  
"Come on, let's go get some lunch."

After we took a lunch break, courtesy and paid for by Gordon for me being such a good assistant and not setting the copier on fire, which I would be justified in doing. No Jury would convict me.

We spent the rest of the day doing menial tasks. I wasn't able to do much without the copier, so I just followed Gordon around. Getting him coffee refills, even trying to sneak him a decaffe. Mary would be proud. Replying to some emails on his computer. Playing some minesweeper. Annoying him as he tried to work. You know, real important business.

But eventually Gordon was finished, or maybe he just had enough of me for one day. Any which way, we left to head home. The car ride was me raging at the machine that was fast becoming the bane of my existence and Gordon humouring me by agreeing with my wrath.  
"Joining us for dinner?" Gordon asked as he parked up and we got out the car. But I shook my head.  
"I'm still stuffed from lunch." I put my hands on my stomach after exaggerating its size but puffing it out. "I'm going to name my food baby Bruce Jr." I joked, eventually deflating when Gordon shot me a disgusted face, making me burst into a fit of giggles.  
"Please don't." He smiled at my laugh and went to his own door while I headed to mine. "Goodnight Rory. And remember, charge your phone." I waved and said goodnight. Happy to be home.

I sighed as I kicked off my shoes. Glad to be out of the heels. They looked good but damn, if I wasn't so short I could wear flats, not be subjected to this podiatric torture. Maybe I should invest in a pair of stilts? I pondered the idea as I went upstairs.

But soon rejected it when I imagined my uncoordinated self being elevated. It might kill me before this whole madness does. Remembering the madness, I took my phone out and turned it on. I recoiled in disbelief when I looked at missed calls. 56 missed calls from Dr Jenkinson.  
She really is crazy, just as nutty as her patients. Maybe instead of placing her in charge they should give her a room of her own. I dismissed the calls and deleted the texts without reading them. But one text caught my eye.

From Bruce Wayne.  
To Rory.  
Rory, I still owe you a shirt. We should set up a date soon.  
Let me know when you're free.  
W

I was surprised by the text, not that he hadn't mentioned taking me shopping, but if I didn't know any better. Which I certainly did. I would have said that text was flirtatious. A date? I just wanted my blouse replaced, not wined and dined. I was done with men, maybe forever. Anyway, a crazy ex is still in the picture. I sent one back, trying not to smirk as I did.

From Rory  
To Bruce Wayne  
Hello Bruce, I'm aware you owe me a blouse. Hard to forget boiling coffee being spilled on your chest. I'm pretty booked up though. You know, burn clinic visits.  
R 

I sent the R to mock him a little, why did he put W at the end of his texts? Did he think I would forget who I was talking to after a sentence? I wasn't that dense. And the coffee wasn't boiling, mildly warm at best, but it still stained the same. And if it made him feel a little guiltier, what was the harm? I smiled when he replied a few minutes later.

To Rory  
From Bruce Wayne.  
Surely you can fit me in? Somewhere? And again, I apologise profusely.  
W 

To Bruce Wayne  
From Rory.  
I'll let you know if a spot opens up.

I hit reply and dropped my phone on the bed, intending to hop in the shower, I'm pretty sure some of the copier ink got in my hair. But before I could my phone buzzed with a phone call. I checked it wasn't crazy doctor, but it was Gordon. I answered with a smile on my face.

"Hello Gordon." I greeted, and he laughed.  
"Just checking you were charging it."  
"Yes father." I joked with him, only half serious… "It's on charge now." I even plugged in the adapter just so I wouldn't be lying. Even though I had 68% battery.  
"Are you sure you don't want to come around for dinner? We're having left overs?" He didn't sound very enthusiastic about the idea. As delicious as Mary's meatloaf was, it wasn't as good second time around.  
"No thanks Jim. I'm going to hop in the shower and maybe get an early night." I began taking off my socks, rubbing my poor feet as I did so.  
"Alright, see you tomorrow morning. We're going somewhere different." He said mysteriously.  
"Oh? Where would that be?" I tried but Jim chuckled.  
"It wouldn't be fun if I told you. Just be ready tomorrow morning. Bye."  
"Bye." We hung up and I dropped the phone on the bed.

Mysterious trip. Maybe we're trying out somewhere new for lunch. Maybe Gordon is finally going to try Sushi. Even though he says "Why is raw fish so expensive? They don't even cook it!" I snickered as I remembered. Or maybe we're going copier shopping? I pushed it to the back of my mind, knowing I wouldn't be able to sleep if I kept thinking about it.

I jumped in the shower after taking off my dirty, ink splattered clothes. Reigniting my fury at the machine as I scrubbed the day off. Maybe I could sneak in tonight, dissemble the damn thing, make the mayor pay for a new one. Or at least buy a second hand less rebellious one. It took me a while to figure out who annoyed me more, Dr Jenkinson or the copier. After careful consideration I decided the copier was enemy #1, I had to interact with that thing every day. Dr Jenkinson's line of communication to me could be muted. And she was only human, she had to sleep. But the copier was always on, always watching, mocking me.

Maybe I was becoming obsessed with this copier… Maybe I should consider getting my own doctor. Just not Dr Jenkinson. For the love of god not her. I would rather have Dr. Crane and we all knew he was some grade A crazy. Did everyone in this town have some screws loose in the head? It certainly seemed so. I just decided not to get involved with any more of them. Having Joker and Batman in my life was already too much. I'm surprised I haven't dropped dead of a heart attack. I did drop dead from a bullet though. I smiled at my joke, but my hand instinctively went to my chest. Running a finger along the scar. It would heal in time, but it would always be there.

A constant reminder of how close I am to dying. Caught in a crossfire of a fight that wasn't even mine. I sighed, not wanting to remember it too much. I was still a little fuzzy about the night, but I remembered enough.

Jack screaming my name, holding onto me tightly.  
The unbelievable pain in my chest.  
Batman holding Jack back.  
Gordon holding my hand, telling me not to be afraid.  
But I was afraid, I was afraid to die.  
And then there was nothing, until I woke up in the hospital.

I got out of the shower, quickly drying myself as I remembered my time in the hospital. It basically sucked. Gordon was there, every day. Bringing me books, flowers and grapes. So many bags of grapes. I didn't even like grapes.  
He would sometimes just sit with me, he also tried to get me to tell him what happened. But he gave up on that after a while. Even chased away other officers who wanted to know. There was one officer he let in. I found out his name, Officer Ben Rose. He was the officer who shot me. At first, he just apologized continuously, wouldn't take his eyes off his shoes. But he visited a few more times, maybe just to appease his guilt, but he seemed genuinely interested in how I was recovering. I would feel guilty if I shot someone in the chest too. I didn't blame him, he was doing his job, he didn't mean to shoot me. He meant to shoot Jack, which I obviously didn't want. But he has been shot a lot and doesn't seem to die. He could have taken one for the team. I take one and I immediately die, maybe Jack isn't fully human anymore. Part vampire? It would explain a lot.

I giggled as I imagined Jack with fangs. Saying 'I want to suck your blood'. Cloak and all.

Maybe next Halloween, I thought. But then caught myself. We wouldn't be celebrating Halloween. Sometimes it was hard to realise that even though Jack was alive, he wasn't with me. He couldn't be. So close but so far away. Separated by, I would hope, heavy security, or just any crazy could escape. Maybe one of them being Jack.

I quickly changed into my pyjama's and was going to carry on reading my book. But as soon as I picked it up, my phone began ringing. I looked at the called ID.

'Dr Jenkinson do not answer.' Too bloody right. When will she realise, I'm just not into her.

*Authors note*  
Hey guys, I've noticed there's been a bit of a drop-in reviews? Not saying you have to, but it would be nice to hear you guys. Is there anything I could be doing better? Are you enjoying the story? Have any predictions? Ha ha I would love to hear from you guys!  
Or even send me a message, I don't mind. ^-^ Well anywho.

See you guys next time xoxo

P.S  
More Joker in the next chapter 😉  
Just in case you were beginning to miss him


	10. Chapter 10

I considered just letting it go to voicemail, but she would just keep calling. She is like a rabid dog with a bone. The woman needs a hobby and annoying me is not a valid one. I accepted the call with a clipped. "Hello Dr Jenkinson." I sighed.  
"Not quite." A gravely voice answered. I searched my mind. It wasn't Bruce Wayne or Batman. But no one else had my number? Unless it was… my heart just about stopped as I realised.  
"Jack?" I gasped.  
"Miss me Ror?"


	11. Chapter 11

*Authors note*

*I was kidding! Please put down your pitchforks and torches! I wouldn't be cruel enough to only give you guys an 88-word chapter, that would be beyond cruel. I just have a sadistic sense of humour. Here is the full chapter. Love you guys (please don't murder me.) *

"Miss me Ror?" I was so shocked I didn't even know what to say. I just stood there with my mouth, I'm sure very attractively, hanging open. "Come on Ror, usually I can't shut you up." Jack laughed, although he was quiet, much more than normal.  
"Jack? How are you talking to me? How did you get Dr Jenkinson's phone? Are you still in Arkham? Is she still alive? Did you kill her?" The questions just kept tumbling out of my mouth.  
"There she is. That's my girl." Jack chuckled more as I stood dumbfounded.  
"Dr Jenkinson gave me her phone, willingly." I silently thanked god, I didn't like the Dr, but I didn't want Jack to murder her. Especially not for a single phone call with me.

"I told her how mummy didn't hug me enough and daddy hit me with a belt. She ate it up. Seemed really excited over child abuse. She's crazy." I could just see Jack shaking his head talking about the Dr, I had to agree she was not too different from her patients. But him calling someone crazy, was more than a little ironic.  
"So, she just gave you her phone to call me?" I asked, not entirely believing him.  
"I told her I wanted to ring my ma. Tell her I forgive her." He aww-ed and scoffed.  
"Your mum died 9 years ago. You might need a Ouija board. She'll see you called me, Jack. That'll just raise more questions." I was worried when Dr Jenkinson got her phone she would see he called me for however long this phone conversation lasted. And email me incessantly. 'What did you talk about, did you know about his troubled youth, did he think you were his mother? Are you his mother?!'

"I'm not giving her the phone back. I'll say in a fit of rage I smashed it into dust. What is she going to do? Cavity search me?" He joked but I raised an eyebrow.  
"She might." I cringed just at the thought.  
"Don't worry, I can handle the Dr. She is desperate to try and figure out how I turned into the legend I am now. She'll give me whatever I want."  
Legend? I thought, it was more like a nightmare.  
I settled back into bed.

"If you say so." I said, unconvinced. "Still. You shouldn't be talking to me."  
"I wanted to hear your voice." He finally said after a silence.  
"Jack…" It felt good to say his name, to not call him Joker. Just Jack. My Jack.  
"I want to see you." He added. And I struggled to find a good reason against it. Apart from obviously my neighbour. Gordon. And everything else.  
"Jack, I can't." I tried but he wasn't taking no for an answer.  
"I need to see you Rory. Not behind a table, not with an audience. Unless that kind of thing turns you on." I didn't expect the joke and a giggle escaped before I could help it. "I mean, I could get behind the bondage." He quipped again, making me laugh more.  
I couldn't help it, I did miss this Jack.

He laughed along with me, our laughter lasted a few more seconds until it died down. I took a deep breath, about to tell Jack it still wasn't a good idea. But he spoke up before I could.  
"I'll set it up, doc will give me anything to understand the trauma of my past." If only she really knew. He chuckled darkly. "Just come." There was a pause. "Understand?" He asked, and I tried to say no, but my voice spoke without my brain agreeing.  
"I'll be there." It said, and I bit my lip. Well, fuck.  
"Good. I missed your voice Rory. And don't worry, I'll be out soon." I was about to reply when the phone clicked off and my home screen stared back at me. I collapsed back into my pillows, groaning at my phone. Why did I even have this? All it brings me is trouble! I took a pillow and screaming into it.

My head instantly turned to my neighbour. Should I tell Gordon? I was becoming great at lying to him. Which made my heart squeeze painfully. But I couldn't tell him, he would freak out. How long did we speak, what did he say he was going to do, am I in danger, should I be shipped off to Switzerland? I sighed, I definitely could not tell Gordon. Not a hope in hell.

Should I tell the Batman? Surely, he would show up again. Probably on my balcony again, like a creepy peeping tom. Or Gordon could put me in touch with him. But this might just add more fuel to the fire of Batman's witch hunt against me. Well, it wasn't exactly a witch hunt if I was a witch to begin with.

But it would be dumb to only give him ammunition to use against me. I sighed, torn between doing what was right which was telling Gordon or Batman. And doing what was wrong, which was not telling anyone. I turned over in bed and grabbed my laptop, I could at least investigate how Jack got out. If he hurtled babies out of windows and used puppies and kittens as cannon balls, then maybe I'll tell someone. If not, then maybe I won't?

I googled 'Joker escape methods from Arkham'. And the results just came flooding in.  
'Joker uses household chemicals to create famous Joker gas, escapes with makeshift gas mask and death count of 85.'  
'Joker brainwashes recent psychology graduate Harleen Quinzel and escapes.'  
'Mayor slams Arkham Asylum for lax security as Joker escapes once again through ventilation system.'  
'City under siege! Joker bombs his way out of famous Arkham Asylum. Releasing hundreds of other inmates.'  
'Joker once again terrorising Gotham after escaping just days after incarceration.'  
'Famous Joker gang orchestrates a jail break for Gotham's #1 wanted fugitive.'  
'Public outrage as Joker walks out of Arkhams asylums front door!'

Who the hell was Harleen Quinzel?! I quickly googled her name and a blonde blue eyed young woman stared back at me. Blonde? I ran a hand through my own thick brown hair, has Jack changed his type? I tried to not let my hazel eyes turn anymore green and clicked off the image search.

Shutting my laptop down entirely. I released a sigh. What the hell? He walked out of the front door?

I thought this would reassure me that the Joker was under tight lock and key. But he had broken out dozens of times, and those are only the reported times. He could have broken out hundreds of times? I would put it past him, Jack was many things and stupid wasn't one of them. He was resourceful and intelligent. I doubted there was anywhere that would be able to trap him for long.

I rolled over and buried my face in the covers, trying not to think about the Joker, or Jack. I couldn't think of one without the other. Surely, they would be ready for the Joker now though, made sure everything was extra secure?

But then a thought blind sighted me. Did I even want him out?  
It took me a few moments to even think of an answer.  
And I realised. I didn't.

It was easier to imagine being with him when we were together, up on a roof, no one else in the picture. But Gordon isn't dead, his family is there for me. I have a job that I enjoy, a home that didn't have rats or suspicious mould, plans for a cat. A sort of friend in Bruce Wayne even.

But what would I have with Jack? A life on the run, looking over my shoulder for the rest of my life? No one to turn to but Jack, no friends or family, turning to crime for money, for protection. No place to call home, moving every time someone got suspicious. Not the life I wanted. Not the dream life I had imagined for Jack and me. More like a nightmare.

I know I promised him on the roof.  
"If I did leave Rory. Left all this behind. Would you leave with me?"  
"Of course, I would Jack. Just you and me, right? Against the world."  
"You're right."

But things have changed. I've even changed. I finally have a chance for a semi normal life, with people who love me. Not the girl I used to be, but for the woman I was now. I was in love with the memory of Jack and he was in love with the memory of me. The way we used to be.

Now that Jack knew I was alive, I don't think he'll ever be able to let me go.

Maybe Gordon was right. Maybe I did make a mistake going to Arkham, seeing Jack.

Maybe I really was in danger.

I just hope Jack won't be the death of me.

Again.


	12. Chapter 12

*Authors note*  
*Hey guys thank you so much for the reviews! I was just felt like no one was reading but now I'm a very happy girl. And because I'm a very happy ducky, I decided to put another chapter out very soon. It's also 4700 words long! Very long chapter for you beautiful people! Hope you guys liked the Joker and Rory interaction. More to come.

Also, a quick note to Brumalis, the officer Ben won't be integral to the story, but he'll pop up a few more times.*

Gordon and I were already in the car, I was eager to forget about last night and just imagine what we were doing today. I was happy to hear from Jack, but it was heavily tinged with sadness. I didn't know what the future held for us, if it held anything at all. It was all so… uncertain. (😉)

But I pushed it to the back of my mind and nudged Gordon.  
"You telling me where we're going then?" I asked, trying to pick out landmarks that might give me clues. But honestly, all of Gotham's streets looked the same to me.  
"Try not to get too excited, it's not exactly a fun place." Gordon warned me, and I smirked.  
"So, not trampoline land then?" I pouted and fake cried. "But I was so looking forward to it!" I wailed, and Gordon laughed at me.  
"It's just a little out of the ordinary, in fact, one might see it as more of a punishment." He frowned, and I was beginning to get worried.  
"Well fuck Gordon, you're really selling it to me." I joked, and he turned a strict eye to me.  
"Language." He said simply, returning his gaze to the road. Did he just tell me off for swearing? I let it pass, he is a dad of two. It must just be reflex by now. But it did make me want to swear even more.

"Oh, your favourite person texted me last night." I said, and I could see the cogs in his head spin, trying to figure out who he hated and who had my number.  
"Who?" He finally asked, brow furrowed.  
"Bruce Wayne." I wasn't going to tell him Jack also called, that was a little too honest.  
"Why?" He asked, trying to keep his eyes on the road, but obviously interested.  
"He says he owes me a shirt. Remember he spilled coffee on me, when I went for the interview?" I reminded him. Thinking of it, they never did tell me if I got the job or not. But seeing as I was suspected dead I didn't expect them to. Hard to give a pile of ash a desk job.

"Oh, you mean the Bruce Wayne who you called a, what was it? A pretentious rich guy?" Gordon laughed as he remembered our phone conversation.  
"Why can you remember a conversation from weeks ago. But not where you leave your glasses?!" I joined in laughing with Gordon, but my cheeks were burning, even more than the coffee did.  
"I can't believe I told off my potential boss." I sighed, if only ey? "But I'm happy it didn't work out, because now I get to work with a better boss. Who I can tell off and he won't fire me." I beamed at Gordon as he shook his head.

"I think if I did fire you, Mary would divorce me." I raised an eyebrow but then nodded.  
"I would divorce you if you fired me too." I laughed and suddenly Gordon was parking the car. As we did he turned to me.

"If you want to let Bruce buy you a new blouse, that is your decision, you're a big girl and I can't tell you what to do." Gordon said, and I mumbled under my breath.  
"You do tell me what to do."  
But Gordon ignored me and carried on. "But if you do let him buy you a new blouse. Make his credit card hurt." He smirked, and I couldn't help but return it.  
"I fully intend to." We high fived and got out of the car. I looked at the building as I went to stand beside Gordon.  
"By punishment, I think you overrated the place." I turned my narrowed eyes at Gordon. "The mayors office, really?"  
"I have to talk to him." He shrugged and began walking in.  
"And you brought me along because?" I asked, having to half jog to keep up with Gordons long strides. "I could have had a lie in." I mumbled as we squeezed onto an elevator.  
"If I'm forced to come here, you can suffer with me." Gordon whispered under his breath and I had to hold in a chuckle.  
"Sadist." I whispered back as we went up to the top floor. We quickly exited the elevator and I swung my arms around me. Happy to have my personal bubble back. Why did people pack themselves into elevators like cattle?

"Fun starts now." Gordon mumbled as we made our way to the Mayors PA.  
"Yay." I groaned. We got to the desk, only to be ignored by a woman. She had sleek black hair, that was styled into a short bob. Her dark rimmed glasses sat on the edge of her nose as she stared at a computer, typing with break neck speed. Her acrylic nails nosily hitting each button as she typed.  
Gordon cleared his throat, only to be ignored again. When he knocked on the desk, her dark brown eyes finally turned to us. Still typing.

"Can I help you?" She asked, her voice sounding bored.  
"I'm commissioner Gordon, the Mayor wanted to see me?" Gordon said, a small polite smile on his face. Her eyes swung to me and I smiled like Gordon.  
"I'm Gordons assistant." I tried but her eyes already left me, flicking to the clock.  
"You're late." She said simply, eyes returning to the computer monitor.  
Gordon looked to me and I checked my watch. "By like 30 seconds." I shrugged.  
"Late." She answered, obviously still listening. She sighed and pressed a button on a Bluetooth headset she was wearing. Her other hand kept creepily typing. Was she an android? Would explain the lack of personality?

"Sir? Yes, I have a detective Gordon here to see you?" She spoke into the headset.  
"Commissioner Gordon." Jim corrected her, she flicked his eyes to him and rolled them.  
"Sorry, commissioner Gordon. Yes sir, he is late." She didn't seem sorry. She nodded a few times and clicked the headset off.  
"You can go through." She pointed to the large double eyes just next to her desk. "Only commissioner Gordon." She said as I went to follow him.  
Gordon frowned but pointed to the chairs. "I won't be long." He promised, and I was fine with that. I could check my emails while he talked to the Mayor. See what craziness Dr Jenkinson was sending me today.

I took a seat on the solid leather chairs, why did they make waiting space furniture so sharp. It was like sitting on a rock, I was just happy for my junk in the trunk making it at least bearable. If I was any skinnier it might have broken my butt bones. What was that bone called? Pelvis, tailbone? I'm going with butt bone. I was about to open my emails when I heard my name being called.  
My head snapped up, surprised to hear it.  
"I knew it was you." My eyes finally found the owner of the voice and I couldn't have been more surprised.  
"Richie?" I asked, and he nodded, beckoning me over. I cast a quick glance to the receptionist, but she was paying me no mind. I got up and made my way over to him. I looked him over. He was wearing an electrician boiler suit and had a hard hat on. Looking behind him, I could see a box off the wall, a mess of wires inside.  
"Part time electrician?" I asked, an amused grin on my face.  
"Got to pay the bills." He shrugged. But he was beaming at me.  
"J told me you were alive, but honestly, I thought Arkham was making him go crazy. I thought for sure you were dead." He chuckled, and I shrugged. Not even touching the 'go crazy' part of that.  
"A lot of people have been saying that lately." I tried to smile. Even though I realised how weird this was. "Last time I seen you, you were on a helicopter." I jibed.  
"And you were bleeding out." He shot back, and I pulled the collar of my shirt.  
"Scars to prove it." I let the collar snap back up after Richie looked at it. Grimacing when he did.

"God. Little Rory took a bullet and survived. Knew you were made out of hard stuff." He laughed, and I smiled.  
"Would seem so." I agreed. Richie's eyes moved to my shoulder and I turned. Seeing Gordon heading towards us. I could see Richie stiffen up instantly and I whispered. "Be cool and go with it." He nodded, copying the smile I had on my face.

"Finished already Gordon?" I asked as Jim caught up to me.  
"Yeah, he just wanted to me to catch him up on some plans." His eyes went from me to Richie and I hastily introduced them.  
"Gordon this is Richie, we went to school together. And Richie this is commissioner Gordon, my boss." It felt weird to introduce Gordon as my boss, but I guess 'old best friend' was equally as weird if not more accurate. The shook hands and smiled at on another.  
"Working for the commissioner? Wow. I haven't seen Rory in years, small world ey?" He lied, and I nodded.  
"Weird." I agreed and laughed nervously. We all stood in an awkward silence before Gordon piped up.  
"Well, Richie. It was nice meeting you, but we have to get back to work." He smiled, and Richie nodded pointing to the box behind him.  
"Me too." He nodded his head at Gordon as we began to leave for the elevator, but Richie stopped me. Slipping a note into my head and tipping his hard hat to me. "I'm still working for J." He said quietly, and I nodded. Did I expect just because the Joker was incarcerated that his men would suddenly disband? I made a fist around the note and cheerfully, if not a little loudly said.  
"We'll catch up, for sure." I slipped the note in my pocket and tried to remember to read it later. At a more convenient time, like when Gordon wasn't right next to me.

I caught up with Gordon and we got onto the elevator. I smiled at him and tried not to look too guilty. "It's a small world after all." I sang, quoting the Disney song and Gordons eyes crinkled in a smile. He was about to reply when a hand shot out and stopped the doors from closing. Gordon and I looked to each other and then back to the door as the brave soul who stuck his hand in between a metal door and solid frame revealed himself.  
"Fuck off." I muttered, very quietly as Bruce Wayne stood in front of us.  
He smiled warmly as he looked from Gordon to I.  
"Small world." He joked, and I bit my lip. Is god punishing me?  
"Bruce." Gordon greeted, stepping aside to let him in. "What a surprise."  
Bruce smiled at him and then his eyes landed on me as the doors shut fully this time, as we began our descent down.  
"You didn't text me back, last night." Bruce commented and I silently thanked god that I had told Gordon in the car, or he would be very suspicious.  
"Been busy." I dodged the question, smirking as I looked at him. He looked to Gordon and back to me again. "I can see. I would think shopping would be more fun." He commented.  
"I just love small city political climates Bruce, what can I say? It's my passion." I sarcastically admired, and Gordon coughed to cover up a laugh.

"Thrilling." Bruce remarked. An eyebrow quirking up. "Gordon, if you don't object. Could I pick up Rory up after work? Take her shopping?" Bruce asked, over my head, not even asking me. What was he doing? Asking Gordon for his permission? He wasn't my father. Only I wished he was.  
Gordons eyes slid to me and I shrugged.  
"Fine with me. Better ask Rory though." Gordon commented, his eyes going back to in front of him.  
Bruce's eyes turned to me and I smiled.  
"Does your credit card have a limit?" I asked, my face the picture of innocence. He looked a little surprised but answered. "No."  
"Perfect. Pick me up at the precinct at 5." I smiled and linked my arm in Gordons, exiting the lift before Bruce had the chance.

I waited until we were outside and back into the car to giggle. I turned to a smiling Gordon.  
"Forgot to ask, can I get off work half an hour early?" I asked, and Gordon nodded.  
"Sure, it's more of a public service to spend Bruce Wayne's money." He commented as he pulled out of his parked space and we headed back to the precinct.  
"I'm such a good Samaritan." I commented, and I began to think, just what will I spend Bruce Wayne's money on?

"What are we doing Gordon?" I asked as he led me to an interrogation room. I could help my hands beginning to clam up. Gordon turned to me with small smile.  
"I thought I could teach you some basics of police work." Jim opened to door and swept an arm around the room.  
"Starting with an interrogation room." He turned back to me. "What do you think?"  
"Oh." I looked around the old room. "Fascinating." I tried to sound enthusiastic.  
"Ok, I know it sounds boring. But it's important work. Now, what do you want to make sure is not, in this room?" He asked me, and I thought about for a second.  
"A weapon?" I tried, and Gordon nodded. Oh, I got one right, gold star for Rory.  
"Exactly, you don't want anything in here that a perp can use as a weapon against you." He took a step back and nodded to me. "Sweep the room Rory, see if you can find anything." I took a couple more steps in the room and scanned it. A treasure hunt. Fun.  
"Is there a prize if I win?" I asked, turning to Gordon.  
"Consider the incentive you won't end up with a knife in your throat." He offered, and I nodded.  
"I do enjoy not having a knife in my throat." I agreed.

I scanned the room and not seeing anything obvious like a gun or a battle axe. I tried looking for less obvious things and then I seen a pen on the desk. I picked it up and turned to Gordon.  
"A pen?" I tried, and he smiled.  
"Correct." He gave me a smile clap and I bowed. "You get to live another day." He took the pen from me and put it in his pocket.  
"Oh goody." I quipped sarcastically.  
"Ok, what else?" He asked, and I looked around again. Still seeing no axes or swords. The desk was bolted down to the ground and the only thing other than Gordon and I in the room, was the chair. It looked a little rickety, so I took a chance.  
"Chair?" I asked. And Gordon shrugged.  
"Convince me, why?" He asked, and I thought, 'No fair, he didn't say I had to justify my guess.' But I racked my brain for a reason.  
"A perp could break it? Use a splintered end as a weapon?" I tried, and Gordon smiled at me.  
"You're good at this." He congratulated me, and I raised my eyebrows. I'm good at it? Well get me. Maybe Gordon should be paying me more, I was obviously in a job not deserving of my intellect.

But before I could bring up a rise from Gordon he pointed to the corners of the room.  
"What's up there?" He asked me, and I followed to where he was pointing, but all I could see was a corner.  
"Are you seeing things Gordon? Are the voices telling you to do bad things?" I asked, and he turned a withering gaze to me.  
"Well I don't see anything." I defended, and Gordon sighed. Teaching me was obviously a chore. Which he should have expected really. He does know me.  
"What do you need in an interview room?" He asked, and I shrugged.  
"A criminal?" I asked but he shook his head.  
"Something you can take to a court." He tried but I laughed again.  
"A criminal!" I stuck with my original answer, and he couldn't exactly tell me I was wrong.  
"What can we use as evidence?" He pushed me in the right direction and I caught on.  
"Oh video, there are cameras up there?" I was in disbelief, I couldn't even see one. Gordon nodded and still dubious I dragged the chair over. I stood on top and investigated the corner. Surely, there was a small blinking red light. I grinned and waved.  
"Hi!" I laughed, getting down off the chair. Gordon shook his head at me, a small smile on his face though.  
"Now the glass—" He began but was soon cut off by somewhere stopping outside the door.

"Oh commissioner. Sorry, I thought this room was free." It was Ben Rose, the police officer. He had the scruff of a mans shirt in his hands. A heavily tattooed man, with rings on all his fingers and a shaved head. Both officer and perp looked surprised to see me in the room too. I didn't have a uniform so guess I looked like a normal civilian. Which I guess, I was.  
"Oh Rory." Ben greeted with a smile, which I returned.  
"Been a while." Today was shaping up to be a hell of a reunion wasn't it?  
"Ah a perfect example." Gordon came up next to me. Opening the door more for Ben to come in.  
"Sorry, I didn't know you were in here." Ben repeated, finally turning to Gordon again.  
"No don't worry, we were just making sure the room was safe. Bring him in." Gordon invited them in and I went to the corner, dragging to the chair back to its original position.  
Ben nodded a thanks to me and Gordon and I were about to leave the room when I felt a hand entangle in my hair and rip my head back.

"What the fuck?" I cried as I knife was placed at my throat. I turned my shocked eyes to Gordon and Ben. The man Ben brought in had got out of his grip and was using me as a human shield. I could see Gordon and Ben instinctively reach for the gun holster, but the man put the knife closer to my neck, pressing hard enough to break the skin.  
"Ow!" I complained, not even feeling fear, just annoyance.  
"Shut the fuck up." He muttered, tightening his grip in my hair. If only this guy knew I had survived a week with the joker, he was nothing more than an annoyance to me. But before I delved into that Gordon spoke.  
"Let her go." Jim's voice was calm, but his wide eyes were not.  
"I want to leave." The perps voice was panicked and rough.  
"That's not going to happen." Gordon said.

Suddenly I was back in that basement. 9 years ago. Shorter and smaller. Only a kid as my father held a knife to my throat. Threatening to kill his own blood. I expected to be filled with fear at being put back in this position. But I wasn't. I wasn't scared at all. I was angry.

A rage filled with as I thought what is with the men in my life, who think they can push me around? Filled with stupid courage, I pushed the wrist holding the knife at my throat. In surprise the perp stepped back slightly, giving me a small gap to shoot my foot back, right in the crown jewels. As she slid to the ground, the knife cut me a little more deeply. Releasing a few small drops of blood. Instead of running to Gordon I turned around to the perp now on the floor. And kicked him again.  
"Fuck you." I kicked him again and Gordon took my shoulder.  
"He's down." He told me, and I let him pull me out of the room. He led me to the wall. "Wait there." He told me, and I nodded.  
"Hodgins!" He yelled down the hall and soon an officer came down the hall.  
"Yes sir?" She answered, and Gordon pointed to the room. "Help out officer Rose, take his perp to booking. And then tell him to get to my office." Gordon ordered, and she nodded, only sparing me a quick glance before she went into the room. Cuffs out and ready.

Gordon took my arm and led me to his office. I sighed when he sat me down in a chair.  
"Are you ok?" He asked me, concern etched into his face.  
"I'm fine." I chuckled, which wasn't the right reaction. "He barely broke the skin." I tried but Jim shook his head.  
"You'll need a bandage." He assured me, and I scoffed quietly. I felt along the cut and it was barely a paper cut. Only bleeding slightly.  
"I'll live Gordon." I tried but he was already riffling through a small first aid kit. He pulled out a bandage and I rolled my eyes. "That is not necessary." I was about to stand back up when he pushed my shoulder down so I sat down again.  
"I don't have any plasters." He argued and began to unravel the bandage.  
"You work in a police precinct, surely someone has a plaster." I tried but Gordon shook his head.  
"Hold still Rory." He told me, and I did as I was told. Knowing trying to argue was pointless. I let him tie a bandage around my neck, even though it was overkill.

"You did well in there." Gordon commented out of the blue. I turned to him surprised. "Hold still." He chided. And I didn't move again. "You kept your cool." He commented.  
"I did, didn't I." I turned my eyes to him; his forehead was creased in concentration as he tried to tie a bow in the bandage. I took the end off him and reached into the first aid kit. Cutting off a piece of tape and securing the end. He smiled and let me sit back down.  
"Cool under pressure, fast thinking, brave actions. Proud of you." He smiled as he perched on the end of his desk.  
"Maybe I should become one of your officers." I joked, and he scowled.  
"I didn't say that."  
"Why not?" I asked.  
"It's too dangerous." He folded his arms over his chest.  
"Say's the police officer." I realised my mistake as he furrowed his brow at me and I held up my hands in surrender. "Sorry Commissioner." I put on a deep voice and his scowl eased off.

"Don't worry Gordon, I wouldn't look good in the uniform." I joked, and Gordon smiled. "I'm pretty sure you said my prize for our little game in the room was I wouldn't get a knife in the throat." The smile fell from Gordons face and he took a deep breath.  
"I didn't expect my officers to not be able to perform a simple search." He shook his head and it snapped up when there was a knock. Gordon thumbed to the small sofa next to his filing cabinets. The only other seat other than the one I was in and his chair behind the desk. I quickly moved, and Gordon took his seat.  
"Come in." He barked, and Officer Rose opened the door slowly. Coming in with his head down. He was standing just beside the seat before Gordon told him to sit down. His eyes flashed to me, for a second before he sat down.

"Commissioner I am so sorry—" Ben began but Gordon held up a hand.  
"Since when can you not carry out a simple pat down?" Gordon asked, staring down at the poor young officer.  
"Commissioner—" Ben began again but it seemed Jim didn't want to poor guy to speak.  
"It's protocol officer Rose. Or has that changed?" He asked.  
"No sir." He answered and there was a silence in the room. I shifted uncomfortable, somehow feeling like I was in trouble too.  
Gordons eyes went to me and he held my gaze for a few seconds before he went back to the scolded officer. "You put a civilian life in danger, by disregarding the procedure we have." Gordon took off his glasses and rubbed the bridge of his nose. There was a silence in the room, both officer Rose and I too scared to speak. Jim Gordon wasn't a very physically imposing man, but when he spoke, you listened.

"Officer Rose, take the rest of the day. Tomorrow I expect you to be able to recite to me the entire protocol word for word. Understand?" Gordon stood up and Officer Rose hastily followed. He nodded and left the room quicker than he had entered.

Gordon turned to me and his expression softened.  
"Rory you should take the rest of the day off." He put his glasses back on and stood up. I followed by reflex.  
"I feel fine Gordon." I tried but he shook his head.  
"You've had a shock Rory. You should spend the rest of the day relaxing."  
"You want to come to the spa with me?" I teased. "We could get facials, maybe a scrub of some sort." I laughed when Gordon rolled his eyes.  
"Go on." He ordered. "Get out of my precinct." He shooed me out of his office and I sighed.  
Well what the fuck else am I going to do today? I asked myself but then my phone buzzed in my pocket. I reached in and took it out, a text from Bruce Wayne lightening up my screen.

From Bruce Wayne  
To Rory  
'Did you say to pick you up at 5?  
W'

How serendipitous that he texts me now, my day has just opened up.

From Rory  
To Bruce Wayne  
'Pick me up now  
R'

I thought it was quite a bold text. Too bold in fact. Even slightly aggressive. I was about to text again saying, 'If you want'. But then another text from him came through.

From Bruce Wayne  
To Rory  
'Yes Ma'am.  
W'

I smiled and thought, maybe he likes that. Instantly cringing at the thought of what Bruce Wayne likes to do in bed. Eurgh. I grabbed my bag and was about to walk out the door to wait for him when I was stopped by Ben.  
"Rory, I just want to tell you I am so sorry." He was also carrying his bag, I thought how strange until I remembered we were both being sent home.  
"Ben, it's really ok. I'm kind of getting used to it." I tried to joke but he didn't find my dark humour funny. But then again not many people did.  
"Look, people make mistakes. Hell, I've had my share of dumb decisions." Many, many more than my share. "But if we didn't fuck up every once in a while, we wouldn't be human." I smiled at Ben and he gave me one back, even though it was still sad and tight on his face. I linked my arm through his. "How about you walk me out?" I asked, and he nodded his head. Leading the way.


	13. Chapter 13

*Authors note. *  
*First of all, sorry it's been a week since I updated, which is a while for me. Life keeps getting in the way. But I'm back on track now, hopefully for good.  
Second of all, it may seem like the story is slow burning, but it's going to pick up pretty quickly soon, it won't be as long as 'A past forgotten'. Maybe 20 or so chapters? So, we're already nearly half way through. I have it all planned out, so I'll be updating pretty regularly. Maybe one every 3/4 days. So, be on the lookout. And again, thank you for the reviews, it's really nice to hear your feedback and that you're enjoying the story so far. But enough of my talking, back to the story. *

I quickly excused myself to the bathroom before we left to read the note, still burning a hole in my pocket. I couldn't help but feel the thrill I used to feel when Jack and I passed notes back and forth in class.  
I got into one of the bathroom stalls and took the small folded note out of my pocket. I had no idea what Richie couldn't say to me in person, but I was dying of curiosity. I took the note and unfolded it carefully, laying it out straight in my hand.  
'He will call at 10'oclock. Be alone and ready.'

I looked again at the note. That's what he couldn't say to me in person? That's what he felt imperative to write down. He could have told me that as I left. I felt a little let down by the simple message. I was hoping for more of a thrill but notes with Jack had always been to the point.  
I took the note and flushed it down the drain. This removes the potential to burn it or swallow it. How embarrassing and potentially life threatening. My house burns down, or I die choking on a dumb note. Not how I want to leave this world. I exited the bathroom and re-joined Ben.

As we both walked out of the precinct he was in the middle of telling me about his pug, named Potato. Aptly named because, after showing me a picture, did look like a potato. A fat potato with a face.  
"Potato just loves to sleep, sometimes when I leave in the morning and come back at night. She is still in the same position. Sometimes I'm worried she's dead, but she always gets up for food." I laughed along with Ben, thinking if I was a dog, I would be Potato. The fat, lazy, potato looking dog who only moves for food. Honestly it didn't sound like a too bad existence.

"Rory?" I turned to see Bruce Wayne leaning against the wall apparently waiting for me. Damn he got here fast.  
"Hi Bruce." I smiled and turned to Ben. "This is Ben Rose, one of Gotham's finest police officers." Ben looked slightly star struck at the sight of the billionaire. I nudged him forward and he stuck out his hand.  
"Hello, sir, this is an honour." He beamed at Bruce who took his hand and shook it.  
"Honours all mine. Always good to meet one of the brave men and women keeping this city safe." Bruce turned to me and pointed to his Porsche. "Shall we?"  
"We shall." I turned to Ben. "I'll see you soon." I gave him a warm smile as he walked away, still beaming to himself.

"You got here fast." I commented as we walked to his car. "Would have thought you might be busy. Running a billion-dollar company and all." Bruce reached past me and opened the door for me.  
"Never too busy to pick up a pretty girl." He tried, and I turned to him with a disgusted face.  
"Let's not do that." I told him as I climbed in. He smiled and chuckled as he shut my door and went to his side. "Well, the way you worded your text, I didn't think being late was optional." Bruce started up the car as I flicked my hair over my shoulder.  
"It wasn't." I confirmed. I took a look around his car, it was nice. Black leather upholstered seats, touch screens on the front dash, TV's on the headrest, even a mini fridge in the middle. Fancy. Fancy car for a fancy man.  
"You like it?" He asked, seeing me run a critical eye over everything. It's not what I expected, I thought he would go for a tiny, sports car with a huge exhaust. You know, compensating for something. But this was luxurious and spacious. I liked it.  
"Not too shabby." I teased. I tapped on the touch screen in front of me to put on some music.

Classical music filled the car as soon as I did. I slid my eyes over to Bruce, whose ears and cheeks had turned a fetching shade of tomato red.  
"Is classical music making a comeback or something?" I mumbled, turning the volume down.  
"Who else do you know enjoys classical music?" He asked, narrowly missing a reversing van as he sped through Gotham's streets.  
"You don't know him." I lied, everyone knew Batman. But if I told everyone he was a Tchaikovsky fan, he might turn up on my balcony again. "He's kind of a prick." I chuckled to myself.

"Oh?" Bruce asked, and I could have sworn his grip on the steering wheel tightened. But I shrugged it off, I watched the window and I could see we were coming up to the shop that I bought my shirt from. I tugged on Bruce's sleeve.  
"You're going past the shop." I warned, watching as we zoomed past.  
"We're going shopping somewhere else." He smiled, and I relaxed back into the seat.  
"Fine, Mr Wayne. Take me to Gucci." I chuckled.  
"Yes, Ma'am." He winked, weaving through the traffic.

"You know, I was kidding about Gucci." I told him as we stood outside of none other, then the Gucci store.  
"Please allow me to assuage my guilty conscience for burning you, by taking you to a nice store." Bruce asked, a sad look on his face.  
"Fine. But only because you look so pitiful." I grabbed his arm and began to pull him in behind me.  
"Can I not wait in the café?" He asked as I began to pull him towards the clothing section.  
"No, who else will carry my purchases?" I asked.  
"They employ people to do that." He rolled his eyes as I turned around.  
"What happened to that guilty conscience of yours?" I asked, hands on hips. He looked sheepish as he scratched his head and I lifted an eyebrow.  
"Fine." He conceded with a sigh.

"Can I help you with anything?" A sales assistant came up to me. Giving me a once over and not looking entirely impressed.  
"No thank you. I have my butler with me." I turned back to Bruce who smiled at the red-haired assistant.  
"Oh my, Mr. Wayne. I'm so sorry I didn't see you." She sidestepped me and was about to fawn over the billionaire. But I grabbed his arm.  
"As I said." I smiled and linked my arm through his. "We are entirely capable. Ciao."  
I pulled Bruce along by my side as she looked after us, shell shocked. I feel like I just had my 'pretty woman' moment. Julie Andrews would be proud.  
"I wanted her number." He laughed, keeping in stride with me.  
"Do it on your own time buddy. For the next however long it takes, you're mine." I smiled at him. "You know, you're bossy. Like a short dictator." He joked.  
"I prefer assertive." I nipped his arm. "And this is a monarchy not a dictatorship." I strode confidently into the clothing. Let's go find me a crown.

"I thought we were only buying a shirt?" Bruce asked after another hour of looking through racks.  
"We were, but you also spilled coffee on my trousers too." I lied, my trousers were fine, well at least they were until Ryan and his boys.  
"That doesn't explain why we have 3 different outfits, and shoes." I turned back and tried to look as innocent as possible.  
"You could just reimburse me for the blouse? And although it wasn't extremely expensive in monetary value. It had so much sentimental value. And you can't really put a price tag on that." I fibbed.  
"You told me you bought it that morning." He asked, unconvinced.  
"I bond fast." I quipped, adding a jacket to Bruce's arms. He was strong for a playboy. "Shall we go to the till?" I asked, as I figured I had tortured Bruce enough.  
"Are you sure you have enough?" He asked, sarcastically.  
"We can go to handbags if you like." I threatened but Bruce shook his head and smiled.  
"No, you're right, let's check out." He almost pleaded.  
As we approached the cashiers I took one blouse off the top of the small pile Bruce was holding.

"Let me help you out there." I smiled devilishly. I stopped him went he went to follow me. "You can put that stuff back." He looked at me, confused.  
"I fear you've lost me?" He hefted the outfits in his arms.  
"You only have to replace my shirt." I held up the single shirt I had picked out.  
"What's all this for then?" He asked, looking at the haul I had made him carry around.  
"I like to fuck with people." I shrugged. "My own little revenge." I smiled and went to desk.  
I put my shirt on the desk and slid it to the woman. "My butler will be along shortly with my card." I was enjoying myself, a little too much.  
"You need to stop referring to me as your butler." Bruce came up next to me. I turned as he hefted the pile I had accumulated onto the desk as well. The cashier looked slightly taken aback.  
"Would you prefer boyfriend?" I asked, and Bruce shook his head.  
"Butler is it then." He smiled.

"I was kidding about the clothes, you really don't need to buy them." I told him, although the woman was already scanning them.  
"All joking aside, I do feel genuinely guilty about spilling my coffee on you. And the way I acted after, it was uncalled for and extremely rude of me." He was looking down at his thousand-dollar shoes.  
"I forgive you, loyal butler." I smiled, holding out my hand palm up. He looked at me perplexed before I clarified. "Card?" He handed his over with a small sigh, but I beamed.  
"PIN?" I asked, cheekily.  
"Just swipe it." He waved his hand, demonstrating.  
"I thought they had a limit."  
Bruce looked at me, looking slightly insulted. "I don't have a limit, Rory."

"Alright, Scrooge McDuck. Calm down." I joked, scanning the card over the scanner when they woman had bagged my purchases. The card beeped, and the scanner went green. I hesitantly gave Bruce back his card. Imagine all the cats this card could buy.

We both stood as she pushed the bags towards us. When I made no move to grab them, Bruce sighed and took up the handles.  
I smiled and led the way out.  
"Come Butler." I instructed, practically skipping out of the store and back to Bruce's car. He followed after me, amused.  
"Does Gordon have to suffer with this every day?" He asked once we were back in the car.  
"What do you mean suffer?!" I asked, fake outraged. "As far as I'm aware, I'm a fucking delight." I laughed as he began to drive. I had toyed with the idea of sitting in the back seat, but I thought that was a little too Lady Penelope.  
"Anywhere else?" Bruce asked but I shook my head.  
"That'll be all butler." I had tortured the poor man enough for one day.  
Bruce sighed. "Again, with the butler."  
"Come on." I chuckled. "Let me have my fun."

"So, Rory, the elephant in the room. Or rather the car." I turned my head to Bruce as he spoke. "What's with the bandage around your neck?" He asked, and my hand went to my throat. I felt the soft fabric, I had almost forgotten it was there.  
"Oh, Gordon worries too much." I replied, scratching off the cello-tape and unravelling the bandage. I used the mirror in the visor and tilted it to see my neck. "See? Barely a scratch." The scratch was slightly bloody, but nothing major.  
"Maybe you should see a doctor?" Bruce suggested, and I rolled my eyes so hard it hurt.  
"What is it with you guys? I've had much worse." I tried to laugh but Bruce was looking at me sincerely.  
"You have, haven't you." He said, his voice sad.  
"Oh, come on. Don't be so depressing." I pushed his shoulder, but he didn't smile.  
"Maybe it wouldn't hurt, to let people take care of you." His eyes went between me and the road. Instead of answering his question, I just sat silently.

Let people take care of me? What was I, a five-year-old? I had been taking care of myself all my life. Even taking care of Jack, but the again, we took care of each other. But I took care of myself for years, making sure I had a meal, bathing myself and cleaning from clothes since I was 5.  
I defended myself against my father, always knowing where to hide. Knowing to listen out for the front door slamming, knowing each room in the house with a lock.  
I avoided men my mother would bring home, knowing to put a chair under the handle. Avoiding her crazy outbursts and drunken rants. I knew how to avoid the CPS, make excuses until they gave up.

I had been parenting myself until they both died. And I was better off for it honestly. I didn't need anyone to take care of me. But then I realised I wasn't taking care of myself anymore.  
Gordon was.  
Gordon got me a job, a home, a family to call my own, he took care of me. He had done more for me in the past year than either of my parents did my whole life. Most importantly, he didn't do it for any other reason than he cared. He didn't want any favours, any pay back. He just wanted to see me happy.

As soon as we pulled into my street I turned fully in my seat to face Bruce.  
"Consider your debt, re-payed." I smiled, offering my hand to shake. "You officially now, owe me nothing." He shook my hand and I grabbed the bags from the backseat.  
"It may have cost you a ridiculous amount of money, but it will all come back to you. In good Karma." I smiled cheekily and jumped out the car.  
"Do you want a hand with those?" Bruce asked, rolling down the window.  
"I'm good. Thanks Bruce!" I called, making my way to Gordons house. I waved when Bruce pulled out. I could see him smiling and shaking his head as he did.

I knocked on Gordons door and Mary answered. She looked slightly surprised to see me.  
"Oh, Rory. Where's Gordon?" She asked, looking past me.  
"I left work early. Well, more sent home." I held up my bags. "I was hoping you could tell me how I look in my new clothes?"  
"Gucci? Did you win the lottery?" She laughed, stepping back so I could come in.  
"It's compensation from Bruce Wayne." I told her, shutting the door behind me. As I did I could smell hotpot coming from the kitchen.  
"Compensation?" She asked confused. She led me to the sitting room as I trailed behind her.  
"Did Gordon not tell you?" I asked, but she shook her head. "I went for an interview at Wayne towers. This was months ago. In the elevator down, Bruce Wayne got on and spilt his hot coffee all down me. It was a Venti." I clarified, and Mary nodded.

"So, he took you to Gucci?" She asked, surprised and maybe a little envious.  
"I would have been happy to get another of the same shirt he ruined. But he also insulted me, calling my shirt cheap." I threw my head back. "And I wasn't about to let that kind of impertinent behaviour stand." I laughed as I put on my poshest accent possible. Which wasn't very impressive.  
"Also, he insisted. I wasn't going to turn a trip to Gucci down. When will I ever be able to go again?" I asked, chuckling.  
"I wish I could shop at Gucci, maybe I should trip Bruce up with some coffee." She smiled at me and joined in on my laughter.  
"I guess it's a good thing I got you some shoes then." I took out one of the boxes and passed it to Mary.  
"Oh Rory, no." She opened the box and took out one of the black pumps.  
"Don't thank me, thank Bruce Wayne." I winked as she tried them on.  
"How did you know my size?" She asked. I shrugged and pointed to the shoe rack at the front door.  
"I didn't think the strappy high heeled sandals would be Gordons style." I joked, imagining Gordon in the gladiator boots at the front door, and shuddered with the mental image.

Mary and I spent the next few hours, trying on my clothes from Bruce Wayne. Since we were a similar size we both swapped and decided who looked better in which. By the end of it, I decided she looked way better in one of the outfits and told her to keep it. Not taking no for an answer. And she didn't need too much convincing to accept Gucci.  
After a while, she had to pick up the kids. She asked me to check on the hot pot and stir it while she was out. I was doing just that when Gordon came in. I peeked my head around the kitchen door.  
"Gordon!" I called. He looked at me, and then around at the house.  
"I am in my house, aren't I?" He asked confused. "Or have I entered a different dimension where you can actually cook?" He came into the kitchen as I glared at him.  
"Ha-ha. Someone's retired as commissioner and is now a comic." I teased, and he looked slightly offended.  
"I'm not old enough to retire yet." He defended.  
"Yes, you are. You're just too stubborn to let anyone else run the precinct." I knew I was right, because Mary had been complaining about it when we were trying on clothes.

"Mary went to pick up the kids." I clarified, stirring the hotpot. "I haven't become Gordon Ramsey with my afternoon off."  
"How's your neck?" He asked, and I turned pointing to it.  
"Tis but a scratch." I quoted Monty Python.  
He turned a critical eye to me. "It does look better." He agreed.  
"Mary and I agree. You over reacted." He spluttered as I turned back around.  
"You spoke to Mary about it?"  
"Ahu." I hummed back. Putting the lid back on the hotpot.  
"What else did you and Mary talk about?" He asked, suspicious of our female chat.  
"That's a secret." I whispered. I took a step back and gestured to my outfit. "Are you not going to compliment me on my new threads?" I asked, doing a twirl.  
"Are they new?" He asked, looking me over and not looking entirely impressed.  
"They're Gucci!" I exclaimed, not understanding how he couldn't see that. He shrugged.  
"You look the same."  
"That's blasphemy." I informed him, but he just smiled. "Courtesy of Bruce Wayne."

"That's what you did with your afternoon off? Went shopping with Bruce Wayne?" He asked.  
"What else did you want me to do? Go home and cry over a boo-boo?" I teased him back and his rolled his eyes with a sigh.  
"I wanted you, to go home and rest." He fixed me with the 'I know best' stare.  
"I'm resting now. Very near my home." I smiled and handed him the spoon. "You better stir though, I've been told I should be resting." I shoo-ed him off the chair he was sitting in and sat down as he got up to stir the pot.  
"I shouldn't have said anything should I?" He asked. I shook my head with a smile.

A little later, the kids and Mary came home. We all sat down to eat and when the kids asked what happened to me, I told them I fought a bear, and won. Gordon even backed me up and I think the kids started to idolise me. Bear fighter Rory. I stayed and talked to them both until I checked my watch and it was 9:45. I told them both I had to get back home, shower and bed. I let myself out and rushed home.

I had an important phone call…


	14. Chapter 14

*Author notes*  
*Hello you lovely people. Just a quick note to say, if at any point it seems like I'm mocking or making light of mental health, I most certainly am not. I was nearly admitted into a psych ward when I was a little younger. And I was an outpatient for a while. Still struggle today. I know what it's like on both sides of the fence, if you will. So, if at any point you feel I am making fun, or light of some situations just now I do it from a viewpoint of I've been there. And I am making fun of myself essentially.  
As Dumbledore said, 'Happiness can be found, even of the darkest of time, if only one remembers to turn on the light.' And he was wise as fuck, listen to the old dead wizard. So, that's just a disclaimer, love ya face holes 3*

It was 9:50 by the time I got in my house, and up to my bedroom. I sat anxiously with the phone in my lap, ready to pick it up. But as the minutes ticked by, I just felt more foolish. Why was I sitting doing nothing waiting for Jack to call, like some love-sick teen in a movie? Maybe he is in group therapy or something, I don't know. Maybe he is busy painting out his feelings? I'm not sure what psychological activities they have at Arkham, if any. And if the did I'm not so sure Jack would be invited. He didn't play well with others. But that wasn't new.

It was 10:05 and still no call. Well hell, I can't sleep. Sods law would be as soon as I'm beginning to drop off he'll call. So, with my phone in my pocket I decided to do some washing. If I have to be awake, then I might as well be productive. So, yes, I may be tired tomorrow. But my socks shall be clean. Dobby would be proud. I began to empty the washing machine, dragging out my now clean and wet sheets. And dumping them into the dumble dryer. As I began to sort out my washing to put it into darks and light, my phone finally began to vibrate.

"Hello?" I answered, maybe a little shortly. It was 10:14. He made it so imperative to answer that he had Richie slip me a note like a naughty pair of children in school. But doesn't call when he says he will. Typical.  
"It's me." He said simply, it was Jack, I recognise his phone voice now.  
"No shit." I mumbled. "I thought you were going to call at 10?" I asked, remembering the note and the precise time. Not around ten, not close to ten. Ten.  
"I was stuck with Dr Jenkinson. She wanted me to talk with her about a treatment plan or some shit." He sneered. "Dumb bint thinks I give a shit about treatment."  
"Why are you spending so much time with Dr Jenkinson. She's batshit." I complained.  
"Someone sounds jealous." He chuckled. And I had to admit I was feeling a little jealous. But I'm not letting him know that.

"No, I'm not. But I'm not sure which one of you is crazier, you or her. She called me 56 times the other day. That's not sane." Jack hummed on the other end but didn't seem too concerned with his crazy doctor.  
"It doesn't matter Rory. None of any of this will soon." I was about to ask him what he meant by that when he began speaking again. "Where are you?" He asked, sounding confused. Then I realized the dryer was whirring into life.  
"Sorry, I'm in my laundry room." I hit the off button on the dryer.  
"What are you doing?" He asked, which I thought would be an obvious answer. In the laundry room, making a sandwich.  
"Washing my socks." I answered.  
"You're such a tease." He mumbled, and I burst out laughing. It was so unexpected, and I couldn't help the bark of laughter.

"I've missed that sound." Jack said quietly, I almost missed it.  
"Missed what?" I asked, wiping a tear away.  
"Your laugh."  
I didn't know what to say to that. So, I stayed silent.  
"Did you see Richie today?" He asked, and I knew the answer to that one.  
"Yeah at the Mayors office. He gave me your note. You know the one saying you would call at ten." I muttered the last sentence which made Jack laugh a little.  
"Good. I've got him keeping an eye on you." As soon as he said that I froze.  
"Excuse me?" I asked, sure I must have misheard him.

Richie is keeping a tie on me.  
Richie is keeping a fly on me.  
Richie is keeping a pie on me  
Richie is keeping a spy on me. Wait no Richie was the spy.

"Richie is keeping an eye on you for me." He repeated, and I boiled.  
"Jack, I don't want one of your guys watching me." I put a hand on my hip even though he couldn't see me do it, I hope he heard it.  
"What's wrong with Richie? He was the one watching you when you first came to Gotham. He's loyal, he won't hurt you." Jack seemed to think he was comforting me.  
"Yeah, and it was horrible. I felt like I was going crazy! Tell Richie he doesn't need to watch me Jack, I'm being serious." I warned him.  
"He's already been watching you." I stopped in my tracks.  
"Jack. Are you being fucking serious?!" I was conscious of my neighbour, if Gordon heard me shouting he would come running. But I raised my voice, enough for Jack to know I was pissed off.  
"Makes me think you have something to hide." His voice took on a slightly sinister tone.  
"What are you even talking about?" I asked, confused, why was I the bad guy here?

"Were you going to tell me you were stepping out with Bruce Wayne?" Jack asked, and I nearly laughed at the use of 'stepping out'.  
"He took me shopping, to replace a shirt he spilled coffee on." I told him truthfully. Yes, he had bought more. But that was the original purpose of the visit. Context matters.  
"When did he spill coffee on you? Have you been meeting with him?"  
"Jack, paranoid doesn't suit you." I tried to explain but Jack wasn't listening.  
"Is he the one that cut your neck?" He asked, and it took me a minute to catch up with him.  
"Jack, no. Fucking hell." I sighed. "If you give me a fucking second Jack."

"He spilt coffee on my shirt, months ago. Like the day Ryan and his thugs beat me up in that alley. Remember the one you sat back and watched." I added sourly. "And then you know, you kidnapped me, and he couldn't exactly get a hold of me. And you also made it look like I was ashes, so he made it up to me today. The cut on my neck is also from today. Some perp one of the officers brought in had a knife on him and tried to use me as a human shield. But I handled it. It barely broke skin." The last part was only partially true. It cut into skin.  
"Who was the guy who cut you?" Jack asked, ignoring everything else I had said. I sighed and shrugged.

"I don't know Jack. It doesn't matter, it's done with." I left my laundry room, heading up the stairs.  
"I'll find out who he is. I'll make sure he doesn't have any hands left to touch you with once I'm done." Jack said venomously.  
"Jack, I'm totally fine—" I began but he talked over me.  
"People need to learn not to put their hands on you! Rory, when someone tries to kill you, you don't just let them walk! Remember Ryan?" I swear to god I nearly threw the phone at the wall he was making me so angry.  
"The guy you shot two feet away from me. Yeah I remember." The man he tried to make me kill.  
"You wouldn't stand up for yourself then either." He added.  
"Really? Because I remember tazing your ass. I can fight my own battles Jack. I don't need you murdering everyone who hurts me. I'm more than capable of defending myself."  
He scoffed, and I wished he was in front of me, so I could punch him. Right in his stupid clown face. He took a deep nasally breath and sighed. "It doesn't matter." He began quietly. "Point is, I can't defend you from in here. But I'll be out soon."

"What? On good behaviour?" I joked, but I didn't feel like laughing. "What do you mean?"  
"I'm getting out." He whispered, and my heart practically stopped. I had been lying in bed, but I sat bolt upright.  
"What? How?" I asked, not sure if I was happy or utterly terrified.  
"I need more time to finalize my plan. Have to be creative since all my previous exits have been, fortified." My mind went back to all the news articles I read about his escapes.  
"Don't worry Rory, I always have an ace up my sleeve." He chuckled, but I had broken out in a cold sweat, my heart hammering in my chest.

"You'll not hurt anyone, though? Please promise me Jack." I pleaded but they fell on deaf ears.  
"I'll do what I need to do to get out. To get back to you Ror. And I'll kill anyone stupid enough to get in my way." His voice was practically a growl, an animalistic and possessive side to Jack that I had never seen before. And I didn't like it. He got jealous sure, but not like this. Not murderous.  
"Jack—" I tried.  
"I don't have long. I've set up a meeting for us tomorrow. Be here at 2p.m."  
"Jack, I don't know if I can." I needed more time, but Jack wasn't willing to give me it.  
"It's the only time Ror. You need to be here." His voice was an order, but then it softened. "Just you and me Ror, against the world. Right?" His voice sounded so much like the voice I knew and loved. The old Jack.

"Right." I answered, the only way I have ever answered that question. My voice broke on a sob as a tear streaked down my cheek.  
"I'll see you soon, Ror." And then the call ended. 

My heart tore itself apart when I realised. It wasn't me and Jack against the world. Because Jack wasn't here anymore. It was just me.

Jack would never murder to get his way. He wouldn't build bombs to prove a point. He wouldn't kidnap me. He would never hurt me.

But the Joker had done all these things. And I didn't want to play his game anymore, I didn't want any part of this anymore. I didn't want this shadow of Jack. I wanted my Jack, my old goofy, sweet and caring Jack. The boy I fell in love with. And still loved. But the Joker wasn't him. He was nothing more than a shadow of my jack. And I couldn't love a shadow. The darkest part of Jack.

Maybe the Joker was right.  
Maybe Jack was dead.  
Maybe I was wasting my time. Chasing ghosts.

A quote came to my mind.  
"You can love a monster, it can even love you back. But that doesn't change its nature."  
Maybe the Joker did love me, with the small part of him that was still Jack.  
But I couldn't live with that. With only a small part of Jack. Because the Joker in him was bigger and more dangerous. And I loved Jack, but if I stayed. He would kill me. I knew it. It broke my heart. But I knew it.

And I hated the Joker, I really fucking hated him. But I loved Jack. I loved him more than anything.

The devil I hate and love the most.

I didn't like this new Jack. Back when we were younger he would listen to me, trust my judgement, trust me. And he would respect my decision, whatever I chose. But now he wouldn't let me speak. He just talked over and thought I couldn't function without him.

But I can, and I have been.  
I loved Jack and I know that part of him still loved me. But sometimes that's not enough.

I couldn't start over with him because he would never be able to leave Gotham. He couldn't get a 9 to 5 and build a home with me. That future for us was nothing but a fantasy. We had lost our chance. I loved him, i will always love him. But I had a chance to be happy now.

But not with Jack. Not with the joker.

I didn't know my future. And it broke my heart to admit it. But any future I had however uncertain.

It didn't involve jack.


	15. Chapter 15

"Rory?" I heard from my doorway, I didn't know who it was, and I screamed. Falling over myself to leap out of the bed. But failing due to my rude awakening.  
"Rory?! Stop it's me." Gordon stood with his arms up in the air.  
"You nearly gave me a heart attack!" I grabbed my chest and wondered how I hadn't just dropped dead yet. Well. I had. But whatever.  
I tried to detangle myself from the sheets, they had wrapped around me in my escape attempt.  
"I've been knocking for ten minutes." He tried, and I rubbed the sleep out of my eyes.  
"Sorry, I didn't get a good night's rest." Which wasn't a lie, I tossed and turned in bed all night. Nightmares of clowns and guilt over my realisations about Jack.

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that." Gordon said sitting on the edge of my bed while I returned under the covers.  
"It's okay, not your fault." I sighed as I got back into my warm spot. "Todays our day off." I thought, 'why was Gordon here.'  
"It is our day off. Mary and I are taking the kids up to her mothers for the day. Thought you might like to join us?" He offered, and I considered it. I never had a grandmother, or grandfather. My parents either didn't speak to them or they were dead, I never knew.

And I never tried to find out, did I really want to find the four people who created and raised my 'parents'. Who made my life hell? Did I want to meet the originals? No. Was the long and short of it. My parents learned their behaviour from somewhere. And neither parents attended their children's funerals. Their absence spoke volumes.

"Please don't make me go by myself, the woman hates me. Says I've never been good enough for her daughter. And she might try to poison me, I need you to be my food taster." He smiled, and I found the offer a little less appealing. Possible poisoning didn't really spell out FUN for me.  
"And get in the middle of your family drama. No thank you." I laughed, and he frowned playfully.  
"You're making me go by myself?" He asked, and I nodded. Hugging a pillow close to me.  
"Mary will be there, and your kids. She won't murder you with so many witnesses." I teased, and he shoved my shoulder, making me laugh.

"Ok. But if I die. You know who did it." He raised an eyebrow and I saluted him.  
"I'll bring the old crow to justice chief." I smiled and pushed his knee. "Go to your death old man."  
"I can arrest you." He warned with a pointed finger.  
"Not today, today you're officially not my boss." I quipped back.  
"I hold a grudge. I'll just arrest you tomorrow."  
"If your still alive." I sank further under the covers as he smiled.

"What are you going to do with your freedom today?" Gordon asked, and my mind went to the guilty thought. I'm going to Arkham, but I couldn't tell him that.

It'll be ok. I would never go back after today, so he would be happy if he knew. But I'm still not telling him. It was going in the first place that he didn't agree with.  
But after today I can officially keep my promise. And I really won't see the Joker again.

I shrugged. "Sleep?"  
"All day?" He asked in disbelief.  
"Don't underestimate my power to sleep." I snuggled further under the covers, until just my eyes were visible. Maybe to hide my growing Pinocchio nose.  
"Maybe it'll do you the world of good. And when we go back to work, you won't try and set the copier on fire." I gasped.  
"How did you know?!" I asked. Had he read my mind? Was Gordon psychic? Can he see the future? Did he see me, in the future, setting the copier on fire and was trying to save me from an arson charge?  
"You mumble out loud when your angry." He told me, and I nodded. Sounded right. "Right, well I'm off. We'll be gone most of the day, but we'll try and be back for supper. You can come around and tell me how sleeping all day worked out." I nodded, and he held his arms out.  
I sat up and hugged him, before retreating under the covers again. "Have a good time." I told him.  
"I won't." He mumbled and waved.  
I heard him go downstairs and lock the door behind him.

I tried to close my eyes again, but it was no use, I was awake now. And my mind was running in circles. I knew I wouldn't be sleeping all day. No matter how attractive the prospect.  
I was going to Arkham. To see Jack, but he wasn't going to be happy with what I had to say. I had agonized over this all night, and I couldn't keep doing this with him. I don't know if Jack was still in there. But even if he was, he was too far gone from me. I didn't know if I could even reach him, or if he wanted me to.

All I knew was I was sick and tired of playing these games. Since coming back to Gotham I had been stalked, threatened, drugged, kidnapped, kept against my will and made to witness the deaths of boys I went to school with, tied up, made to sew Jack back up. For fucks sake, I had even died.  
All that had been done by Jack. He blew up a bus station to stop me from leaving.

I couldn't forgive Jack for all this. All the needless death. He had gone too far.  
And one night on a roof, didn't change that.  
I loved him, but I couldn't be with him.

And that's exactly what I'm going to tell him. If I ever work up the courage that is.  
I dragged myself from the warm comfort of my bed and made myself go into the shower. Nothing wakes you up quite like searing hot water propelled from a shower head. As I peeled off my pyjamas I tried to cement my courage. Jack will be reasonable, won't he?  
But I instantly knew the answer to that, a whole lot of no.  
But the guard will be there, he'll just hold Jack down if he goes off his rocker. Right?

Hopefully he actually knows how to use that tazer if he needs to. And if not, I had experience. Whole lot of fucking good it did for me though.

I knew this wasn't a good idea. And don't get me wrong, I rarely have a good idea. But this one seemed way out of the park of terrible ideas. I'm hitting a home run on 'what am I thinking?'. A basket in the final 10 seconds of 'Bitch you crazy.' And all the sporting metaphors I could possibly use. Telling Jack, I didn't want to be with him, it might just tip him over the Joker edge. But I have to do it. I can't keep him in my life if I want that life to be long. All he brings is disaster and pain. And I don't want that. I can't have that anymore.

I got out of the shower and dried myself off. Still consumed with thoughts on what I should do.

On one hand, I still love Jack.

But on the other, is he even Jack anymore?

On one hand, I want a normal life.  
But on the other, does that mean Jack can't be in it?

On one hand, I have Gordon and a life I enjoy.  
But on the other, it's Jack.

On one hand, is the past we share together.  
But on the other, does that mean we share our future too?

My mind was still catching up, but my heart knew I had to do it. It couldn't handle being torn in two directions anymore. And I had given Jack a chance. But we weren't the same kids we once were. We had changed so much, we were different people. And now we want different things in life. He wants to destroy Gotham, and I just want to lead a life in it. Surrounded by people who love me. Not by thugs and insane supporters. Who would shoot themselves in the temple if the Joker told them too, as one had demonstrated to me. Jack had put me through too much, some things can't be forgiven. No matter how much I loved him, I had found my limit, and Jack had pushed me past it.

I got out of the shower, opening the door and releasing all the steam into my bedroom. I was going to wear some of my old clothes, but I decided to wear some of the new clothes Bruce's guilty conscience paid for. Jack might take me seriously if I look the part. I doubted it, but it was a reason to look nice. And who was I to pass that up?

I also decided that I would tell Gordon everything. The whole truth. What happened while I was with Jack, even our past and the fact he was Jack. Then he might understand, it couldn't make him understand less. And I needed to talk about it with someone who knew the old Jack and the Joker. He didn't know Jack like I did, but then again. No one did.

But maybe Gordon would understand, the reason I couldn't leave before. It might start to make sense to him. He would keep our secret. If I asked him to, I knew he would. And I was sick of keeping secrets from him, I could lie to the Batman and Dr Jenkinson. I didn't even like those guys. But Gordon, I wanted him to know, to understand.

I dried myself off and got dressed. Trying to look nice but I felt stuffy in the clothes, they weren't really made to be comfortable. I couldn't see these as becoming long term clothing staples for me. Black pants and a flowy blouse was good for me for work. And Gordon didn't seem to mind. But I would wear these today, maybe the Dr will take me seriously if I look the part. I had on a grey pencil skirt and a white fitted blouse. And if I do say so myself… DAMN I looked good.  
I hope Jack doesn't think I'm dressing up for him, hey I'm looking smoking, by the way we aren't going to work out. As the thought rang through my head, I could feel my chest constricting.

Suddenly I was filled with doubt. I loved Jack, I do, I always will. Can I just leave him? But I knew the answer, sometimes you have to put yourself first. And being with Jack or the Joker, wasn't good for me. It had already killed me. And I can't keep doing this. Lying to the people I love, being with someone who has caused so much pain. It wasn't me.

Maybe if he changed, took his time in Arkham and at least try to atone for his sins. As put my shoes on, I tried to think if Jack could ever fix what he's done. Probably not, there's only so much people can forgive. Even I was finding it hard to forgive him. And he was serving multiple life services, he would have to turn into Nelson Mandela to have any hope for release now.

You can love a monster, they can even love you back. But that doesn't change their nature.

I couldn't change Jacks nature. The Joker was a part of him now, and it was a part I wanted nothing to do with. But I was finding myself nervous, I was actually scared to tell Jack, I didn't know how he would react. I found it harder and harder to predict him. Back when we were younger, I could finish his sentences, tell you what he was thinking even. But now, I had no idea. I was walking on eggshells, worried the next word out of my mouth would set him off.

I checked the drive way to make sure Gordon had left, and sure enough the car was nowhere to be seen. I left the house and made my way to the bus stop. I wasn't exactly sure how to get to Arkham, hopefully the bus driver knew. And didn't think I was a total nutjob for wanting to go there. Maybe he would think I was a hot doctor, or a hot guard or a hot cleaner. Or a hot something.

Thankfully he was helpful and told me which stop to get off at, how long it would take ect. I don't remember people in Gotham being so helpful. Maybe it was the pencil skirt?  
I texted the Dr to tell her I would need to see her.

Rory: Hello Dr Jenkinson. Are you available today to speak?  
Dr Jenkinson: I have patients to attend to. But I can try to fit you in today, what time works for you? 

Jack wanted to meet me at 2pm, that was when our play date was apparently. It was already coming up to 12:00. And the bus wouldn't take much longer, I quickly texted back.

Rory: About half twelve, I need to discuss the Joker with you.  
Dr Jenkinson: I have cleared my schedule. I will be in my office waiting.

Fucking hell doctor. Try not to act too eager. I think I would have to ring in an anonymous tip. Fire Dr Jenkinson, bitch be coo-coo crazy. I shook my head and put my phone in my bag, at least I wouldn't be waiting around for her. Apparently talking about Jack is more important than her other patients. Good to know.

Finally, I was at my stop, the bus driver directed me, and I thanked him. I tried to psych myself up. Ha psych myself up, psychology ward. No? Ok. I carried on with my own pep talk.  
I'm a badass bitch, and I will take no shit. Not from Jack, not from Joker, not from Dr Jenkinson, not from any one. Except maybe Gordon. Because… he could fire me.

I had already been here, so I signed in and it only took me three wrong turns to find the right way to Dr Jenkinson's office. It was a damn maze in here. When I arrived, she was already waiting outside the door. And I was half an hour late.

"Rory! How lovely to see you. Come in, come in." She ushered me into her office and I let her. She directed me to sit down and took her seat behind her desk. She was wearing a too big smile and it was slightly unnerving.

"I was rather surprised to get your text. What did you want to discuss with me?" Soon that smile is going to be wiped right off your face. I thought.

"I needed to talk about Joker." I was careful with not saying Jack, she might pass out from excitement. Finding out his real name. And he would throw a fit, possibly ending in a tantrum fuelled murder. Dr Jenkinson nodded enthusiastically. "This will be my last visit." As I said that I could see her smile drop, replaced by a frown.  
"I don't understand." She knitted her eyebrows together.  
"I don't think it's healthy for me to continue to do, this." I gestured to the Dr. Her constant stalking certainly wasn't good for me, but I meant the whole thing. "I want to move on from what happened, not relive it every day." It was a lie, but I couldn't exactly tell her the real reason. But even then, there was some truth in that statement.

"But, Rory. I don't think you understand how crucial you are. The Joker's recovery—" She tried but I interrupted her.  
"Has nothing to do with me." I kept my face neutral, but her emotions were written all over hers.  
"But he has been making leaps and bounds with your involvement." Ah the good old guilt trip.  
"And I hope he continues to make them after I am gone." I added.  
"Rory, without you I'm afraid he will relapse." She looked concerned, but I don't think it was for poor old Jack, maybe it was, but maybe it was for the career boost she might get from this case if she 'fixed' him. Or, maybe she was charmed by him. I had no idea.

"That would be very upsetting." I began, and Dr Jenkinson looked hopeful. "But I can't be responsible for his life and mental health. That is your job. I would appreciate if you didn't contact me again regarding the Joker." 

"I think you are making a mistake Rory." She warned me, and I tried not to roll my eyes.  
"I have thought long and hard about this decision Dr Jenkinson, I'm making the best decision for myself." Which wasn't a lie, refreshingly. I looked at my watch and it was already ticking on for 1:30. I didn't even know where to meet Jack.  
"And there is nothing I can do to change your mind?" Dr Jenkinson asked. I shook my head.  
"Nothing."  
"Well, you're going to be late for your last appointment with the Joker." She shook her head and I hesitated.

"Excuse me?" I asked, surprised.  
"He informed me he had set up a meeting with you. I am to take you to him as soon as our chat had finished." I was slightly shell shocked, since when did Dr's take orders from patients. But I stood up when she did and began to follow her. Feeling more than a little odd. Or like I was being led into the lion's den.

Dr Jenkinson led me through a few twisting hallways, getting further and further into the belly of Arkham, which did not inspire confidence. How was I going to find my way back out? Or was the point that I wouldn't…

"He is waiting for you in here." She stood outside of a door and began to walk away. I nearly called after her, but what good would that do. Seemed like she had her orders. And bizarrely she was following them.  
Is there a guard in there? Was I meeting Jack, totally alone? The thought filled me with trepidation, and I wanted to bolt right out of here. Move to Mexico. Change my name and sell oranges by the road. Something else apart from being here right now. But I took a deep breath, remembered I had on my big girl pants on today and opened the door.

As soon as I did I was greeted by the sight of Jack.

No restraints. Leaning against the table with his war paint on and his purple suit.

"Rory."  
"Joker."


	16. Chapter 16

*Authors note*  
*So, I just watched 'Heathers' which is a movie from 1989. And then I found out there was a musical, so after climbing out of the Broadway musical hole I fell into… I realised how similar Joker with Rory was to J.D. Especially the song from the musical 'Meant to be yours.' I highly recommend listening to it while or after reading this chapter. Or just watching the whole movie. It's also a comedy so you'll at least get a few chuckles. And if you need convincing to listen to the musical version, one of the songs is called 'My dead gay son.' If that doesn't at least pique your curiosity I don't know what will.  
But… ANYWHO onwards with Jack and Rory.  
Also if you want this to end happily with Jack and Rory riding off into the sunset… Hon, I got some bad news for you…*

"Rory."  
"Joker."

"You don't have to act Ror. We don't have an audience today." He gestured around the room and looking, there was no two-way glass, no cameras. No guard. Just us. Just me and Jack.  
He cast an appreciative look over me and gave a low whistle. "Looking good Ror." He pushed himself off the table and took a couple of steps toward me. "This for me?" He asked, putting his hands on my waist and leaning forward. I closed my eyes for a second, the last few weeks racing back into my mind. But then I stepped back out his embrace.

"We need to talk." I managed to get out. Jack looked at me confused as I sat down and took the opposite seat after a few seconds.  
"So, let's talk." He flourished his hands in front of him. He began to chew the side of his cheek, which he did when he was annoyed. I couldn't blame him. Finally, alone, and I treat him like a stranger. But I had to do this. And him holding me like that only made it harder.

"I'm not sure how to say this." I tried. Maybe I should have thought this through more. Right now, I'm drawing blanks on how to tell him. I should have at least practiced in front of my mirror.  
"Just say what you need to say Ror." Jack was staring me down, brows furrowed.  
I took a deep breath in through my nose. "This is the last time I'll be coming here." I tried to sound confident and was confused when I heard laughter from the other side of the table. My head snapped up to Jack. This is not the reaction I was expecting. Maybe some shouting and creative cursing, a table or chair thrown, sure. But… giggles?

"Of course!" He cackled. "I was worried for a second there Ror. Told you I'm getting out soon, real soon, you don't need to come here anymore. I know it's not exactly, fun town." He wiped a tear from his eye. Oh, he got the wrong end of the stick there.  
"No jack." His laughing stopped. "I mean," I tried to find the right words, but apparently, I had forgotten the basics of the English language. "I don't think this is going to work out." I risked a glance up and Jack had fixed me again with his glare. "Between us." I gulped, and I could feel my palms sweating. The silence stretched on between us, making me more and more anxious. I made a move to stand up. Maybe he needs some time alone.

"Sit down Rory." He ordered and I, for a second, wanted to stand just to annoy him. But I didn't, with a sigh I got back into my seat and waited for Jack to speak.  
"Who has been putting these ideas into your head?" He asked. Which was insulting on so many levels.  
"I can think for myself—" I began but he yelled, cutting my sentence off.  
"WHO?!" He slapped his hands on the desk and stood up. Towering over me, with only the table in-between us. It would be a real convenient if I had them cuffs now. But I wasn't going to back down. It wasn't in my nature.

"No one." I remained calm though, even though I wanted to scream.  
"Why else would you be saying stupid shit like that?" He asked, leaning over the table.  
"You don't see how a life of crime and death doesn't exactly sound appealing to me Jack?" I asked, and I could see that was making him angry. Or angrier.  
"What about what you said on that roof?" He was referring to when I said we should runaway, start new. I knew that was coming to bite me on the ass.  
"And you were right. It wouldn't work out." I shrugged. "Jack, I can't keep doing this." I added quietly.

"Do what Rory? Do. What."  
"This." I answered exasperated. "Running around Gotham, worrying if you're going to get shot, worrying you're going to shoot someone. I don't want this life Jack. I finally have my life on track, I have a job, I have a home, I have friends."  
"A life without me." He said sourly, and I didn't know what to say. "What happened to you and me Ror, against the world?" Jack asked.  
"I don't want to be against the world anymore Jack. I want to in the world, living in it. A normal life." I was trying to make him see where I was coming from, but I don't think it was working.

"A normal life." He laughed darkly. "What I could never give you."  
"I'm sorry Jack." My voice was getting chocked up, I wanted to cry but I couldn't do that, not here.  
"No need to be sorry Ror." He smiled over the table and I was surprised. Huh? I remained silent as I tried to process this 180. He was, ok with it?  
"A little time away from whoever has been whispering in your ear. You'll realise." He got up from his chair as my brain finally caught up.  
"Jack, no one has been 'whispering' to me." I tried as Jack walked behind me. Whichh only made me more anxious.

"Of course, they have." Jack put his hands on my shoulders, which were way too close to my throat for my liking. "These 'friends' you've made." His hands were gripping my shoulders, hard. "Filling your head with their lies. But it's ok Rory."

"Jack." I tried but felt my chair being spun around and Jack was in front of me. Leaning on the arms of my chair and trapping me there. He leaned forward and smiled at me.  
"You'll see. We're made for each other Ror. I'm all you need. You were meant to be mine and I'm meant to be yours." He leaned forward and kissed my forehead. I stiffened up and I felt one of his hands go to the side of my face and tucked a stray lock of hair behind my ear. "I have you now, and I'm not letting you go." He whispered.

He stood back up and straightened his suit. While he was distracted, I thought this was my only chance. And I have to take it.

I bolted up from my chair, knocking it over as I ran for the door. I dragged it open and managed to get out into the hallway. I could hear Jack's hysterical laughing behind me.  
"Run Ror, run all you like. But you're in my house now!" I didn't slow down, and even when his laughs were too far away to hear I kept running. I only slowed down when I got a stitch in my side and the hallways began to look familiar.

Did I just have a fever dream? Was that even real?  
How could that have happened back there, when I was back in normality so soon?

I looked behind me, but I was alone in the hallway.  
What the hell Jack?  
That was some Jack Nicolson in the shinning shit.

But that's when I heard it. A guttural scream, and then all hell broke loose…


	17. Chapter 17

*Authors note.*  
*On the home stretch now guys! Only a couple more chapters and then it's finished! Just to warn you there won't be much more. But the last few chapters will be action packed, so onwards we go guys…*

An alarm burst through the speakers and I had to stop to cover my ears. It was so god damn loud! What the hell is happening? And why did I think Jack/ Joker had something to do with it? Or better yet, knew he had something to do with it. If there was trouble and Jack was around, you could be damn sure he had something to do with it.

With my hands still over my ears, I began to jog down the hallway. Wanting to get out of this literal madhouse. Sooner rather than later.  
"Shut down. Shut down. Shut down." Began to blare over the speakers. Fuck no! Are you kidding me? But ahead of me I could see people running. I rushed over and grabbed one orderly by the arm.  
"What's going on?" I asked, and his eyes were wide in panic, matching my own.  
"Patients are beginning a riot." He explained, he took my elbow and began to pull me behind him. "Best thing we can do is find a room to hold up in." I let him pull me along, I sure as fuck didn't know what do. And if he worked here, he must know where he is going. I hope.

"Where are we going?" I asked doing my best to keep up with his long strides, I could hear yelling from behind us. It was faint, but it was there. And it was getting closer. And that can't be good.  
"Main control room. It has cameras that show the whole asylum, most importantly the door locks from inside and is damn near impossible to break into. Since the asylum automatically closes all doors in this kind of situation, it's our best bet." He glanced behind me and turned his jog into a run.

I looked behind me to see what spooked him and could see a patient, running towards us. Covered in blood and black hair standing on end. I stopped being pulled along and began to run as fast as the orderly was. And in heels, it was no easy feat.  
"How much further?" I yelled, looking behind at our chaser. He was closing in.  
"Here!" He yanked my arms stopping me and began to bang on the door. "Let us in!" He screamed.  
I banged on the glass along with the orderly, the crazed patient was still behind us and getting closer. I was beginning to think we were done for when Dr Jenkinson suddenly pulled open the door.

I fell to the floor inside the room and the orderly slammed the door shut. I turned, and the orderly was locking it. Falling against it as he caught his breath.  
"Thank god." He breathed out and I nearly smiled at him, until my eyes caught the row of windows surrounding the control room. And the patient was there. Looking at me.  
He smiled as blood poured down his forehead. Then he began to scream. I got up off the floor and began to back away. Until my body hit something, that was most defiantly human. I screamed and spun around. Ready to fight.

But only a terrified doctor looked back at me. In the panic of getting into the room, I hadn't noticed there were people already here, more than Dr Jenkinson anyway. There was about 8 people in total. All looking at me in terror.  
"I'm sorry." I backed up a couple of steps and felt the orderly next to me. Taking a closer look, most of them looked like doctors, a few nurses. And a face I recognised.  
"Dr Jenkinson." I breathed a sigh of relief. "You have no idea how happy I am to see you right now."

Another doctor looked between us. A large white moustache matching his white doctors jacket.  
"You know each other?" He asked, and I nodded. But Dr Jenkinson was the one who spoke up.  
"She was visiting a patient of mine." She clarified, and I could see everyone visibly relax. I think they were relieved I wasn't one of the inmates. The orderly I had come in with took a radio off his belt, he began to talk into it. But I was still looking at the patient outside. He was just there staring at me. Smiling. It creepily reminded me of someone.

"Hello? Anyone hearing this?" One of the nurses offered me a seat and I gladly took it. I didn't want to admit it, but I was shaking while the adrenaline began to wear away. We were all watching the orderly, waiting for someone to reply to him, but it was only static. But radio, phone. I still had mine on me. I rifled through my bag and took it out.  
"Phones are prohibited." Someone piped up from behind me. I looked around at her.  
"Really?" I asked. Maybe it was just a reflex response, but she quickly shut up and I dialled 911. It rang a few times before someone asked.

"Police, ambulance or fire?"  
"I'm not sure, all three? I'm in Arkham Asylum, there has been a riot. I think. Somethings happened, and we're in lockdown." It took the operator a couple of beats before she replied.  
"Arkham Asylum?" She asked, maybe she thought she heard wrong.  
"Yes, Arkham Asylum, Gotham." I offered.  
"Ok, I'm sending all our available units. Is there a security officer I can talk to?" I looked around, but it was all doctors and nurses. I handed the phone to the orderly. He was best equipped to talk to dispatch. He took my phone when I offered it to him and began to talk to the dispatch woman. Hopefully they would be here soon. Gordon though, he was going to kill me. If the patients didn't first that is.

I tried to calm down my breathing. What the fuck was happening? One minute, I'm talking to Jack, next I'm sprinting down the hall. And hardly five minutes go by before there's a full scale shut down? Am in hell or something? Am I being punished? It sure felt like it. Maybe this is a nightmare? I rubbed my face and pinched my cheek but no, I'm awake. And ow.  
It didn't escape my notice that the Joker was probably behind this. But how? He couldn't be doing this alone.

And that's when my eyes slid back to Dr Jenkinson. Was she innocent in this? Or did she play a part?  
She did lead me to him, and knew he wanted to see me. So, could she have known he was planning this? Surely, she wouldn't allow that without telling someone? She might have an interest in Jokers case, but she wouldn't put her fellow colleges and other patients lives in danger, would she? Put her own life in danger too? No one is THAT stupid, are they?  
But as I kept looking at her, my trust was beginning to crumble. She did let the orderly and I in here, but was that out of protection, or so she knew where I was?

I tried not to look her as thoughts began to run through my mind. I tried to get my bearings. I looked around the control room and there was a wall behind me with screens showing the whole asylum, just as the orderly said. I glanced over them looking for Jack, but I couldn't see him. And I didn't know whether that was a good or bad thing. And although we could see out, the inmates could also see in. 3 out of 4 of the walls were glass and I could see more patients running down the hall now. Some running away, others chasing. But a few were just standing outside, looking in. And I felt like an exhibit. Some of them just stood, still as statues. A few were banging on the windows, staring at nothing. And the patients from there was still standing there, watching me, his whole face was slowly covering in blood from a wide gash on his forehead. Creepy.

The orderly I had talked to had passed the phone to a doctor and I touched his arm, he turned around and I finally could see his nametag.  
"Ron?" I asked, and he nodded. Automatically holding his hand out. I shook it and introduced myself.  
"I'm Rory. The glass on the walls." I pointed, and he followed my eyes. "How strong is it?"  
"It's not glass, it's plastic." He corrected me, "Very thick too, nothing is getting in here through that. Bullet proof." I nodded feeling a little more assured.  
"What did the operator say?" I asked.  
"She said police are on the way, but they'll take a while to suit up and get here. They're getting ready to enter a riot, so should be expected, I guess. Said we should stay put. Don't let anyone in or out." He said, and I nodded, seemed sensible.

A nurse came up beside me.  
"Did they say how long?" She asked Ron, but he shook his head.  
"She just said it might take a bit of time to get everyone ready and assembled. They have to treat this like a full-scale riot. No one in, no one out." He repeated what he said to me. The nurse nodded, looking as if she was about to burst into tears. I scooted over on my chair and pulled her down. She let me and perched on the end.  
"What's your name?" I asked her. She looked a little surprised but answered.  
"Amber." She sniffed, I began to look through my purse and retrieved a pack of tissues I had. Giving on to Amber I continued as she blew her nose.  
"Hi Amber, I'm Rory. Now, I'm no police officer. But I'm BFFs with the commissioner of the police department. So, they're going to be here in a flash." I told her, and she seemed to brighten up, just a tiny bit.  
"Really?" She asked, and I nodded. Of course, it was a lie. Not that Gordon and I weren't BFFs because we obviously are. Mere days away from making friendship bracelets. Pretty sure he would make me one too. I had no idea if Gordon even knew what was happening. But this nurse looked like she was younger than me, and my maternal instinct to protect her kicked in when she cried.

But he had no idea I was here, probably no idea there was even a riot. He is down in, only god knows where, trying to survive his mother in law. But, they would probably be on the phone with him right now. He would be saying to Mary, 'I'm so sorry I have to go, Arkham Asylum there's a riot. No, I'm not making this up just, so I don't have to suffer your mother anymore.'

But he would probably glad to be shot of his mother in law, thanking whatever god he believed in for the riot. If he goes home first he would maybe call on me quickly. Check I'm ok. And find I'm not where I said I would be… Again. I was really turning this into a dangerous habit. He was going to be so mad. He might arrest me this time. My crime, being so incredibly stupid. Or he might try and ground me. It would be one or the other when he finds out I was in the nucleus of this riot.

One of the doctors came around to my left and tapped my shoulder.  
"You're really friends with the commissioner?" He asked, sounding slightly surprised and I nodded. "Can you call him? Ask him where they are?" He handed me back my phone, apparently the one who had been talking to the dispatcher was done. Suddenly all eyes were on me and I smiled nervously. Not liking all the eyes on me.

"Sure." I took the phone and dialled Gordons number. He picked on the 2nd ring.  
"Gordon." I tried to sound upbeat, but Gordon was not amused. "It's me."  
"Rory. Where the hell are you?" He demanded, and I cringed, he was going to arrest me. For sure.  
"I'm not telling you if you're going to be mad." I tried to joke. Probably not the best idea, considering the situation I found myself in.

"Rory Johnson." He used my full name. "You better be somewhere safe."  
"Not exactly. I'm at Arkham." I surrendered pretty quickly, especially with everyone looked at me.  
"RORY!" He yelled down the phone and I bit my lip. Cringing as he blew out my ear drum, I needed that. For eardrum, stuff.  
"I'm sorry Gordon. I'm safe though." I looked to the glass and the growing number of inmates surrounding it. "Sort of." I mumbled the last part.  
"Ask him where they are." The doctor urged me. Obviously not happy with mine and Gordons apparent small talk.

"Any idea how long until you're here Gordon?" I asked, and I could hear him sighing.  
"We're still getting the officers kitted out. We weren't really prepared for a riot today. Or I wouldn't have taken the day off." I could hear the anger in his voice and I couldn't blame him.  
"So, like 10 minutes?" I ventured, and I heard Gordon bark out a laugh.  
"Longer. Look just stay put and don't move. Don't do anything stupid." He warned me, and I swallowed the lump in my throat. Nervous because one thing you could count on Rory Johnson to do, was something stupid. PhD in idiocrasy from dumbass university, my speciality in WTF decisions. Our mascot was a Dodo bird, the dumbest creature to ever live on our planet. God damn their own fault they went extinct. In this example, I am the Dodo bird…

"Gordon, how long?" I asked, knowing I wouldn't like the answers.  
"2 hours, maybe 3." He answered, and I heard the whole room gasp. Amber piped up beside me.  
"How long?" She began to cry again, tears running with her mascara down her face.  
"Not what I was hoping to hear Jim." I mumbled, it wasn't his fault. I knew this was a dumb idea. I put an arm around Ambers and let her cry on my shoulder.

"We're going as fast as we can." I could hear him rushing around.  
"I know." I stroked Amber's hair to try and calm her down. It always worked with me. I could hear her wails turn into sobs.  
"For the love of God Rory. Stay safe and—" The line went dead, and I looked to my phone. Signal had been cut off and so did our link to the outside world.  
Fuck. FUCK.

I knew he couldn't hear me but I still tried.  
"Gordon? Jim? Fucking hell. He's gone." I explained to the room and the doctor who had given me my phone looked to me in confusion.  
"What happened?" He asked.  
"Line's went dead, I think someone in the riot has killed the signal." I didn't know it for sure, but I did have four bars of signal and now I had zero. Doesn't take a genius to work out something happened and the riot was no coincidence.

I put my phone back in my pocket.  
"They've cut the phone lines or have used a blocker. I'm not sure." I explained and one of the nurses began to pace back and forth. I caught Ron's eye and nodded to Amber. He seemed to understand and sat in my place, comforting the young nurse as she sobbed. I went over to Dr Jenkinson who had moved across the control room away from me. As I stood next to her she looked up at me.  
"Rory." She lifted her eyebrows and I tried to read her face. But I didn't get anything.  
"Did you know?" I asked, making sure my voice was quiet, so only she could hear me. We didn't need a mutiny in here too.  
"About what?" She asked innocently but I wasn't in the mood for games. What the hell else would I be referring to here? In a control room, in the middle of a riot.  
"Don't Dr." I warned her. I was small but I could take her.

She looked behind me to make sure no one was listening into our conversation and then whispered.  
"I knew he was planning something, but not one this scale." She explained. "I thought he was going to get you to help him escape, possibly. Use the vents or steal a doctor's pass. Not lead a full-scale riot." She wiped a hand down her face and looked out at the patients surrounding the glass. "Nothing of this magnitude." I believed her, but it didn't escape my notice she had basically used me as bait. Which I didn't feel great about, but I nodded. Happy she at least wasn't one of the masterminds behind it. Bu then I stopped.

"Were you just going to let him leave?" I asked her.  
"No. Maybe. I don't know." She sighed, rubbing the bridge of her nose as the situation caught up with her. "He is very persuasive."  
"Yeah. I know." I could empathise, a little. Jack convinced me to go along with a lot of his hare-brained schemes. But not something this big, and dangerous. If he tried this with me, I would have told him to sit his crazy ass down before I made him. Probably smack his sanity back into him. Which now would just result in beating him to death, he was defiantly missing a few more than all his marbles.

I turned back to the monitors and nearly gasped when I looked. I could see the Joker making his way through one of the hallways. I grabbed Dr Jenkinson's arm and spun her around, pointing to the monitor that caught my attention.  
"Where is that?" I asked her as she pushed her glasses up her nose to see more clearly.  
"That is..." She trailed off as she turned around. When I turned with her I could see the patients were looking to their left. Clearing a wide path as someone was walking through.

I guess I got my answer to which corridor.

Right outside.

Fuck…


	18. Chapter 18

***Authors note***  
Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh what will happen, who the heck knows. Spoiler I do.

I held my breath as the whole control room stared transfixed out the window. The crowd was parting, but they were screaming too, in excitement? Or sheer terror, I had no idea. As soon as the last few patients moved I could see who they parted for. And I guessed it.

The Joker.

Amber screamed, but his eyes didn't go to her. He searched the room until his eyes fell to me. He grinned as he did and tapped on the glass. Beckoning me to come forward. I stood rooted to my spot until I felt a little push from behind me. My head snapped behind me and Dr Jenkinson was encouraging me forward, looking petrified. I took a couple of steps until I was a foot away from the glass.

"Rory." He greeted. The screams around him had died down so I could hear him.  
"Joker." I replied, which only made him grin more.  
"Back to that are we?" He laughed as he rested his forearm on the glass. Looking too much as if he was about to start flirting with me.  
"We are." I could feel all the eyes in the room fixed onto us. Even the patients outside the room were watching. "What do you want Joker?" I asked him, surely if he wanted to escape he would have done it already.

His window of opportunity would be closing soon. My version of knights in shining Kevlar would be arriving as soon as they could dress themselves. Which was hopefully soon.  
"I think you know what I want, Rory." He raised an eyebrow to me and I did know.  
"You can't get into the room." I informed him.  
Or more accurately, ain't no way in hell I'm letting your crazed and demented ass into this fucking safe haven of a room I'm in, your ass is staying out.  
He shrugged a shoulder and smirked. "I have ways of getting you out. But if you come out now, no one needs to get hurt." He was taunting me. "I'll let you talk it over." He nodded to the room behind me and pushed himself away from the glass. He began to speak with one of the more sane looking patients, as I turned around to the whole room staring at me.

"What does he want?" The doctor who had asked me to call Gordon asked. His moustache quivering, it would have made me laugh is the situation I was in was different. It reminded me too much of Gordon.  
"He wants me." I'm in high demand these days, apparently. I took a deep calming breath. But it wasn't doing much to calm my racing heart down. I needed something stronger, like a shot of vodka.  
"What for?" Ron had spoken up, standing from his chair as he came to stand next to me. I shrugged.  
"Not sure." I lied. "But it won't be for anything good." At least that part was honest.

"No." Ron folded his arms across his broad chest. "It doesn't matter. You heard the commissioner, stay put. Don't open that door for anyone. Including him."  
I shot him a grateful look but when I looked at the rest of the room, they're eyes were all on the floor or glancing at each other. Looks like the didn't agree with Ron.  
"Any other opinion?" I asked, and one nurse looked up at me.  
"I have a family." She half whispered. And one of the doctors nodded next to her.  
"Me too, I have two daughters. They need me." He admitted. "I can't die in here."

"And I understand that. I really do." I glanced behind me and Joker was leaning against the far wall, still talking but staring at me. I turned back around. "But if you open that door, chances are you'll not see them again. Once he get's me out, he won't give a damn what happens to any of you." I was trying to make them understand, I was safe. But they weren't.  
One of the janitors who had been silent in the corner, up until then, finally spoke up. "How do you seem to know him so well. Are you his doctor?" My eyes slid to Dr Jenkinson as she finally spoke up.  
"No, she is not. But I am." She stood in between two of the other doctors.  
"What's your opinion Dr Jenkinson?" One asked her.  
"I think the Joker would keep his word—" She began, and I interrupted her.

"You hardly know him! How long have you been his doctor, a couple of days?" I asked her, incredibly annoyed she was blind as anyone else in this room.  
"I am more qualified to diagnose him—" She tried but I was angry.  
"I was with him 24 hours a day for more than a week. Weeks before he had been following me constantly. I know him better than anyone in this room. Especially someone who has been meeting up with his for an hour a day." Which wasn't entirely true. I had spent my life with Jack, but then again, the Jack I knew, and the Joker were two different people.  
I looked at everyone in the room, but they didn't seem convinced. "Look, the commissioner said to stay put, right? No one in, no one out." I was trying my best to convince them. "If we open that door, who knows what'll happen? He can't get in here. Or we're all dead." As I said that, some more people in the room were nodding their heads.

"Rooorryy…" I heard him singing my name. I didn't turn around though. I wanted confirmation they wouldn't throw me into the lion's den.  
"Agreed?" I asked the group and five out of the 7 nodded their heads, which was enough for me. I was about to turn to the Joker when Dr Jenkinson stopped me.  
"Let me try." She didn't wait for a reply and went up the glass.

"Joker, it's me, Dr Jenkinson." She tried, walking up to where I had been standing. Right in front of the Joker. He glanced at me before he turned to the Dr with an amused expression.  
"You're not Rory." He raised his eyebrows at her.  
"No, I am not. But we've built up a good relationship, haven't we? What can I do to help?" She was using her professional voice and it only seemed to amuse him.  
"Would really appreciate it if you opened that door." He nodded to the door, the only thing keeping us safe.  
"I can't do that." She sounded incredibly pained by that and I nearly rolled my eyes.  
"Rory." He barked quickly, I could see Dr Jenkinson jump slightly as I went beside her. "RORY!" He yelled.

"Joker." I sighed as he turned his eyes to me, adopting a grin.  
"There she is, made up your mind?" He asked, sweetness dripping on every word when they were anything but. Dr Jenkinson turned and walked away from the window. Her nerve apparently leaving her.  
"You know I'm not opening the door." I shook my head as his grin grew.  
"You sure?" He asked, and I became suspicious.  
"Joker?" What did he have up his sleeve? I would bet my right foot I probably wouldn't like it.  
"Tick tock Rory. What's your answer?" Joker looked practically giddy as I shook my head no. His grin spread across his face as he backed a few feet back from the glass. Someone else was making their way through the crowd.

Suddenly a doctor was shoved through, landing roughly on his knees in a cleared space in front of the glass. A broken pair of glasses were still perched on his nose, a black eye quickly forming and blood spilling from his nose. He looked up at the Joker, terrified and tried to back away but the crowd pushed him forward and Joker caught him by the collar. He curled his fist into the doctor's jacket and brought him closer to the glass.

One of the nurses came up beside me and gasped. "That's doctor Pavarti." We began to watch anxiously.

"Doctor! Thank you for joining us. Tell me, you got kids?" He was looking into my face as he asked. Gauging my reaction and I couldn't help the tears welling up in my eyes.  
"Joker." I whispered but he ignored me. He shook the doctor when he didn't reply.  
"Got kids?" He asked a little louder and the doctor replied in a shaky voice.  
"I have a little boy." His eyes darted to me and his eyes plead with me. Tears began to fall down my face. I couldn't do anything without damning everyone in this room.

"Little boy, how sweet." The Joker then took a gun out of his jacket and shot the doctor directly in the temple. The nurse who was next to me screamed when the gun went off and jumped back in shock, but I just closed my eyes. Knowing what was about to happen. He was testing me, seeing what it would take to get me out. He laughed manically as he shoved the now dead body to the side getting closer to the glass again. One of the patients came darted out from the crowd and dragged the body away with a gleeful look on his face. To do, I don't want to know what with it.  
"Daddy isn't come home."  
I stared back at Joker when I found his eyes staring at me. "You're sick." I spat at him, but he only smiled wider.  
"Flattery will get you nowhere Ror." If the glass wasn't there, I might have punched him. He couldn't use Jacks name for me, not when he just shot a man in the temple to fuck with me.

"Still don't want to come out?" He teased, and I feared someone else would be shoved to the Joker.  
"I have my guys all over the asylum, rounding up all the staff they can find." He leaned in closer to the glass. "Of course, most of them are already dead. These guys are animals!" He chuckled darkly before he carried on.  
"But they'll find more Rory. Do I have to kill everyone in this hell hole? You know I will." He asked me, his eyes sparkling. "Can little Ror handle that much blood on her hands?"  
I turned away from the glass and walked away. Running a shaking hand through my hair. Gordon will come Rory, he'll fix this. I tried telling myself, but I knew he was still hours away from being able to get in here. How many more people will die before he gets here though? One was one too many.

I heard a woman screaming outside and I turned back around at the noise. Joker looked gleeful when I did. A woman was shoved out from the thick crowd and she toppled into Jokers arms, he caught her, and she looked relieved for a second but began screaming again when she seen who caught her. Joker locked her in a headlock and turned her, so she was looking at me. Her hands clawed at the arm that held her as she sobbed.

"Married, kids?" He asked, but she kept screaming. He rolled his eyes and looked to her hand, he grabbed it and held it up to the glass.  
"Married." He answered for her. I could see the ring gleaming in the lights and she tried to squirm away. I closed my eyes not wanting to look but Jack hit the butt of the pistol on the glass.  
"Rory, eyes open." He taunted, and I did, not able to stop the fresh tears falling down. They were both from guilt and anger.  
"Please! Please don't kill me!" She begged. Her pleas sent a dagger of guilt into my stomach and she kept crying it been to turn it. Ripping me open from the inside.

He laughed and asked her again. "Kids?" She took in a shaky breath and shook her head, no.  
"Oh well." He shrugged as he put a bullet in her head. He didn't let her body drop immediately, he held her up, letting the blood run down his arm. Grinning manically before he let her dead weight fall down, her head bouncing sickenly off the tiled floor. I could hear someone behind me throwing up in the corner, but I didn't take my eyes off Jokers.

His eyes did however leave mine. The man he was speaking to before came to his side and put a phone in his hand. He conversed with him for a second before he looked to the phone and grinned. He came back to the glass, looking to the room behind me.  
"Do we have a Doctor Shepard?" He walked along the glass until one of the doctors held up her hand. "That's me." Her voice was hoarse and broke as she spoke. Coming forward to the glass.  
"Your kids are adorable." He grinned when she began to sob. He tapped on the screen of the phone he was holding and screams suddenly tumbled out of the speaker. Jokers eyes found mine again when that happened.  
"MUMMY! MUMMY!" He turned up the volume so the whole room could hear.

The doctor began to cry harder as she heard the screams of her family. Joker tapped the phone again and then I could see it was a video. Pre-recorded, this wasn't some spur of the moment riot. This was planned out and had been weeks? In the making. He knew I would run. He must have had his men record these videos this morning, ammunition if the live execution didn't lure me out of hiding. He had been planning this, and he hadn't even mentioned it to me. Maybe he didn't trust me as much as he claimed to. Smart, because I would have never come here if I had known. I would have told Gordon. Immediately.

Joker looked at all the other people in the room with a smirk as my brain caught up to his plans.  
"I'm not an unreasonable man." He addressed them. "I'm willing to let you all live, I won't harm any of you or your families." He put his gun over his heart. "You have my word. And I am a man of my word."  
I shook my head at him when he looked back at me his smile widening. He pointed the gun at me now. "But I want the girl."

I felt everyone in the room turn to me.  
"One little girl, and all your families live. If not, I can have my men visit all of them in a matter of minutes. And… well I don't think I need to be too graphic about what'll they'll do." He shrugged, and I felt one of the doctors grab my arm.  
"I'm sorry." He whispered. "But I have three daughters, a grandchild on the way." He plead but I shook his arm off me and turned my back on the Joker to look at the room.  
"You're all idiots if you think his word counts for anything. He is a liar! As soon as I'm out that door, you're all dead." I didn't see how any of them would believe a word he said.

Amber stood up and came next to me.  
"I believe her." She was still crying but she faced the room next to me.  
"And I believe him." The janitor spoke up again.  
"Brian Wood?" Joker asked, and the janitors eyes shot up. "Your wife makes a lovely expecting mother. Shame if something happened to her." With those words Brian pushed past everyone and grabbed me in a vice grip. Pushing to the door. The whole room erupted in argument and I tried to fight him off. But he was too strong.

Ron tried to pry his hand off my arm. "Are you mad?!" Ron yelled but Brian didn't look at him, he only had eyes for the door he was dragging me towards.

"We should discuss this!" I heard Dr Jenkinson try and reason with him but the patients outside had seen what was happening and began to scream in anticipation.  
"They'll kill you!" I shouted but Brian just gave me a sad look.  
"I can't let him hurt my wife. She's my world." He told me sadly.

Suddenly he wrenched open the door and I was shoved out of it. Pushed into the crowd of patients as she swarmed around me. I was nearly swallowed into it when one of the saner looking men held my arm keeping me rooted in place. I turned my attention back to the control room.

They tried to slam it shut again but patients grabbed it before they could. Slowly they began to tug it back open, they all began to swarm forward into the room. I pried the mans hand off my arm, twisting my arm away and I rushed back to the door to do, I don't know what, something! I could hear their screams and I knew it was my fault. I tried to fight my way through the crowd. But an arm came around my waist and lifted me off the ground, dragging me back.

"NO!" I screamed, clawing at the arm around me. "NO!" I began to sob as I was hauled past the glass. Blood sprayed against it as Ambers throat was slit open with a shiv. Brian, whose wife was expecting, his head was being slammed against the glass. His skull beginning to show as blood poured. Ron being held back by four men as a fifth kept stabbing his chest over and over again. I turned to whoever was holding me and tried to punch them. But they put my down and turned me around. It was the Joker.

"Ror." He smiled at me and I launched myself at him. Trying to scratch, punch, kick, whatever I could do. He only laughed as my fists hit his chest. He pinned my arms to my side and slammed my back against his chest. He turned me to the window and grabbed my face forcing me to look.  
"You were right Rory." He whispered in my ear as I screamed, watching all the people who had been in that room be viciously murdered.

"I am a liar."


	19. Chapter 19

Joker began hauling me down a hallway as soon as the blood bath in the control room had stopped. Everyone in there now dead. Because of me. And the small knife that had been twisting in my stomach was now more akin to an axe hacking me to pieces.

The hall was littered with bodies everywhere. Not all were doctors, there was nurses, some were even other patients. But most were guards and orderlies, there weapons taken. All were killed horrifically. Seemed like no one was safe. I tried not to look at the bodies. I had seen enough corpses for a lifetime.

I was over Jacks shoulder, only half conscious. He had tried to drag me away after he made me watch everyone die in the control room, but I wouldn't stop fighting him. I bit him, dug my fingernails into his skin, punched and kicked as much as I could. Joker took the butt of his gun and smashed it into my temple. Disorienting me enough so he could sling me over his shoulder and take me wherever he wanted to put me. Much to my anger.  
This was too much of a familiar situation. Becoming a habit of his even. I felt less of a human and more of a doll the Joker was toying with. Mad when she didn't do what he wanted her to do.

He stopped at a door as I was starting to get my bearings again. I slid down his shoulder as he put me down, but not quite having my legs solid again I began to fall. He caught me in his arms and when he pulled me close to his chest, I used the last bit of my strength. Planting my hands on his chest, I shoved against him.

Falling on my ass as he let me go but I didn't care. I would rather be on the floor than in his hands. He sighed as he watched me scramble back, shutting the door. We were in a pretty secluded part of the asylum, even though I could still hear one or two of the patients outside. I went as far as the room allowed and rested against the wall. Glaring at the Joker.

"Why do you always have to make things difficult?" He asked shoving his gun into an inside pocket of his jacket as he shrugged it off. Laying it across a table.  
"Are you saying this is my fault?" I asked in disbelief, my voice cracking from crying.  
"You didn't make it any easier on yourself." He crouched down a couple of feet ahead of me and leaned forward. "If you didn't run, you wouldn't have seen any of that."  
I laughed out loud. "So, it's my fault. You started a riot and killed all those people because I ran?"

"No, the riot was happening anyway, I need out of here. But you could have stayed in the room, I had a plan Ror. I have had it for weeks. I had the good old doctor choose a room away from all the active patient rooms. Somewhere secluded. You stay in there, I start the riot, we slip out in the chaos." He shrugged and ran a hand through his still green tinged hair.  
"But you ran. And now you're mad at me." He laughed as I looked at him in disgust. "If you for once, did what I told you to do Ror. All those people in that room, would still be alive."

"Don't blame me. It's not my fault you're a psychotic murderer and a fucking liar." I couldn't even look at him anymore. His face was beginning to piss me off.  
"I didn't murder any of them." He tried.  
"No just threaten their loved ones. And as soon as they trust you, or you push them to their edge. You let your dog's rip them apart." I couldn't help the tears that slid down my face again.

"I can't help the actions of wild beasts." He sighed and stood up, but I kept my face turned away. "You'll understand soon Ror. I'm doing all of this for you." Joker left the room and as soon as I heard the door locking I broke down into sobs that shook my whole body.

All those people in that room, they all had families, people they wanted to see again, kids to raise. And now all of them were dead. And for what, so the Joker could have his way. I knew he would kill them. I told them. They would all be alive if they listened to me, but no one ever does. I knew Jack. I could have bet money on what would happen.

But then again, this wasn't Jack. Jack would never do that. This was the Joker and I didn't know him nearly as well. I didn't want to.  
But I hadn't realised it soon enough. Jack was gone, it was the Joker now. I shouldn't have come here, it was dumb. But I had wanted to see Jack one last time.

I thought I could convince him, to turn it around. I thought he would listen, start doing some good in the world. He had been so smart, could teach himself anything. If only he would use that giant brain of his to help Gotham instead of dragging it further down into hell. Even if he only did a small spark of good, one tiny spark in the ever-expanding darkness. It was something, something good. And it would show me Jack was still in there. Still in control.

But this wasn't my Jack. It was Joker. And he was just a husk, his only purpose was to make everyone as miserable as he was. I couldn't change him. He was too far gone.  
Maybe if I was here right after what they did to him on that pier, maybe I could have prevented all of this. Turned it around with him. If I had never left in the first place, I wouldn't have let him join the fucking mob. He would have finished school with me, we would have left this cursed city. Started over in fucking, Ohio maybe. We would have a life.

But I'm locked in a room in an asylum, waiting for the joker to come back, take me to, who the fuck knows where? Waiting helplessly as I waited for the hurricane he was, to sweep my away. Maybe I'll die, maybe I'll-

But then I spotted the Jokers coat. He had left it draped over the table. Maybe not so helpless after all. I pushed myself to my feet and tumbled over to it, still a little shaky. Imagine a baby giraffe taking their first steps, I possess that kind of grace...

I began rifling through the pockets. Finally, my hands landed on cold metal, I pulled out a hand gun and checking the ammo clip. It was full. I stuck it in my waist band and kept going, finally in the bottom of one of the inside pockets I found what I was looking for, a pick. Would have been better if it was a key, but they'll both do the same job. I'm getting the fuck out of this room.

I crawled over to the door and began to inspect the lock. It was a simple one, locks from both sides. Needs a key. As most do. But no keypad or fingerprint scanner like some of the doors at the front of the asylum. Having such a simple lock makes me think Jack forgot that he was the one who taught me to pick locks.

He had an obsession when he was 13, and I mean full blown obsession. He had watched one too many crime films, one too many times and decided he _REALLY_ needed to learn how to do it.  
He had taken out books from the library and taught himself. He started off with simple locks he "borrowed" from the hardware stores and kept practicing until he perfected his skills. He could crack a lock in 45 seconds flat. He even taught little old me how to pick a simple one, said "Rory, you never know when you might need it."

Well, thank, you, Jack. I smiled in relief as I heard the ever so satisfying clicks, and the final pop of the lock. I pushed the door slightly and sure enough, Jack teaching me a delinquent skill finally worked out for me.  
I smiled at the memory of Jack but reminded myself, I wasn't dealing with Jack anymore.

I took out the gun and as I walked out in the hallway, but I was impeded by my skirt. I took a look down at myself and even though I looked hot as fuck, it wasn't practical. I kicked off my heels and ripped the bottom of the skirt up to my thigh, so I could run if I needed to. Not the tottering jog I was doing before, miracle I didn't face plant the floor.

As I looked down the hallway I took the safety off my gun, I didn't want to shoot anyone, but if it was a choice between them and me. I know damn well who I'm picking. I had never used a gun before, but I got the general concept from movies. Point and pull the trigger, try not to die. Easy.

As I crept down the hallways I tried to find any exit signs. All the while avoiding any voices and turning back around if I did. I didn't need to run into any wild patients. But maybe not surprisingly there wasn't a big red sign that said 'THIS WAY OUT' with helpful arrows. I was sneaking through one hallways when I heard the soft murmur of voices. I was about to turn around as I had been doing, but I recognized those voices. Too well.

My head pivoted to the sound and the rest of my body followed suit. No matter how much my brain screamed 'bad plan! Bad fucking plan!' my body was being pulled closer to them.  
Now I've never been accused of being a ninja. But I didn't even make a creak as I snuck toward the voices. I was about to give myself a high five on a job well done but then I remembered where I was. And the voices became clearer.

"Joker, please!" A woman's voice was what I heard first. She sounded desperate as she begged, and I recognised the voice as Dr. Jenkinson. So, not as dead as I thought she was.  
I scowled, just what was going on in there? I peeked around the corner to get a look, trying to be as sneaky as possible. But I kept a tight hold on the gun.  
Joker was standing with 4 or 5 patients around him, they all wore expressions of fevered excitement as they looked down at the doctor on her knees in front of them.

"I did everything you asked me to do." She pleaded, tears streaming down her cheeks.  
"You did doc. You did." He agreed, as he inspected his gun.  
I looked on from the shadows, seeing a side of Jack, or should I say Joker, I was becoming more accustomed to seeing.

Sure, Jack had a temper, an angry side, but not like this. Making someone kneel in front of him and threatening their life. That wasn't something Jack would do. Scream, rage and punch a hole in a wall, sure. But not this. I wasn't sure I wanted to keep watching this, and every second I spent watching was one more second, I was in danger. But I couldn't just walk away. I thought about coming out from behind the wall. Pleading Joker to spare her, but he would probably kill her just to piss me off at this point.

Joker handed off his gun to one of the men beside him. "Doc, doc, doc." He crouched down in front of the cowering Dr Jenkinson, his elbows on his knees.  
"Joker, please. I gave you her number, my phone. I broke every rule, I would be disgraced if they found out! I even brought her here, to you. Please, I did everything you wanted me to do." She broke down in sobs again, they wracked her whole body as she shook on her knees.

The Joker watched her with what looked like a sliver of pity. But the smile creeped up onto his cheeks.  
"Job well done. Jenny." Joker cocked his head to the side. "I'm giving you your reward."  
Dr Jenkinson looked confused as she turned her face up to him. Joker pushed himself up, so he was standing again, and Dr Jenkinson followed suit. Dusting off her white jacket but still shaking like a leaf.

Joker held his hand out to one of the men who put his gun back in his hand. Jack checked it and as soon as Dr Jenkinson heard the click of the gun her head shot up and she fell over herself backing away.  
"But I gave you Rory!" She screamed, backing away, coming closer to me. To the Rory. Fuck.  
"As I said, this riot is thanks to you. This is your reward." He cocked the gun and the doctor turned and began to run away. Right toward me.

I jumped back around the corner and pressed myself right up against the wall. Dr Jenkinson was about to run right past my hiding place when the gun fired, and she crumpled to the ground. Her body skidded to a stop as her corpse hit the wall in front of me.  
I put a hand over my mouth to stifle the scream that threatened to erupt. Tears spilt from the corners of my eyes in pure shock. Her eyes were wide open, staring at nothing as blood begin to spill from her broken open skull.

Then I heard footsteps.  
They walked past me towards Dr Jenkinson's prone body. I recognized Jacks back immediately, he stepped over to the body and nudged it with his foot. He handed the gun back to the man who supplied it and he ran a hand through his hair. He chuckled, smile plastered on his face, not caring that he had just murdered a woman.  
"I love it when they run." He joked with his men who all chuckled in reply.  
And then his eyes landed on me.

He momentarily looked shock when he seen me cowering against the wall, his eyes widened, and his body froze as his mind connected the dots. He snapped out of it and his shock turned to anger. His eyes narrowed, and his mouth turned into a snarl as he took a step toward me. That sent my body in flight mode.

If he 'loves it when they run' he's about to become smitten with me.

Without waiting a second longer, I sprinted back the way I came and ran faster than I knew I could. Incredibly grateful I had ripped my skirt as my legs sped under me. Gucci or not it was no good to me if all it did was slow me down. I had to be as fast as the wind right now.

"RORY!" I heard him bellow behind me, but my feet were in charge right now, and they wanted to go. I looked back, and he was running after me, he always was faster. But today I had adrenaline on my side. I began to take random hallways and corners, suddenly glad of the huge number of hallways I could run through. Maybe I could lose him. Maybe I could get out of this.

Joker was catching up to me fast and that's when I took a bad turn and ended up in a dead-end hallway. I slowed and turned to take another turn, but Joker had caught up now. He stood at the other end of the hallway, blocking my exit. Staring me down as we both caught our breath.  
"Nowhere else to run now." His breath was coming in ragged breaths, his chest heaving. I could feel a sheet of sweat on my skin, not used to doing a sprint. Evidently.

"Rory." He warned, motioning for me to go to him, but I planted my feet at the end of the hallway. If he wants me, he'll have to come get me. He sighed loudly shaking his head.  
"How long were you hiding behind that wall?" He asked taking a slow step towards me.

"Longer than you'd like." I replied, adrenaline still going through my body. My whole body felt like it had a live current running through it.  
"Careful, Rory, don't make me angry." He was taking slow steps towards me, he eyes narrowed as he watched me.

"Little late for that now." I murmured, but he heard me. I was thinking about testing my luck and just running past him, but he has a good reaction time. He would either clothes line me or just grab me. My planted feet were getting less planted as he got closer though. The last bit of my courage fading. But I stayed where I was even when he was only a few feet away.

"Why don't we go back, and talk this out?" His voice had gone sickly sweet, the kind of voice you use when you know damn well you aren't doing what you say you are.  
"I'm good." I replied using the same voice which made him smirk.  
"I'm afraid I'll have to insist." His hand shot out of grabbed onto my arm. He began to pull when I used all my strength to twist my arm out of his hand. He had turned back to me and stood dead still for minute, I think shocked I had pulled my arm back. 

I took advantage of his pause and I pulled the gun from my waist band, pointing it at the Joker. He smirked until I switched the safety off. He held up his hands but still had a small smile on his face.  
"You going to use that?" He asked, and I began to walk around him. Now my back was to the open hallway. My exit route free again, as I put some space between us.

"Do I need to?" I could see my own hands shaking holding the gun, and he could see it to. He let his hands fall down to his sides and I held the gun higher.  
"Come on Ror. I thought this was what you wanted?" He took a step towards me and I matched it stepping back, keeping the gun pointed at him. "Aren't you happy now? We can leave, start over, like we talked about?" He held his hand out to me. And for a second, I almost reached back.

"No Jack, we lost our chance." Tears blurred my vision, I hastily wiped them away. But I kept my finger on the trigger.

"You're wrong Ror, we can have our life now. I can make you see that. They've poisoned you against me, but it's ok. I don't blame you, you always were naïve. But I know what's best for you Ror, you know I do. I'll take care of you. Even if you don't want that right now, you will." Jack took a step closer to me and the gun was now pushed up against his chest. My whole body was shaking as he smiled at me. Looking more like a wolf watching a sheep. Waiting for it to make a mistake, to stumble or hesitate. Then he would go in for the kill.  
He looked down at me, waiting for me to agree. He had an expectant look on his face, but I shook my head. Did he really expect me to go with that? Be told I didn't even know my own mind? Be told I needed someone to tell what to think and feel. No fucking thank you.

"My Jack wouldn't kill anyone." My voice was quiet but, in the silence, it boomed.  
His smile fell off his face and his face darkened but I carried on, keeping a finger on the trigger.

"We were 10 years old when we first met. I had just moved to a new town after escaping my father. You were sitting on a bench by yourself, you wouldn't speak to me, barely even looking at me. It was like getting blood from a stone, just getting your name." I smiled a little as a tear ran down my face. "I came back each and every day to that bench. Even when you wouldn't speak to me, you just sat there and pretended to not to hear me, like I wasn't there at all. But I kept coming back because I knew that you needed a friend, you needed me, but more than that, I needed you. We stood up to bullies together, we shared our pasts, showed each other our scars." I was staring at Jack, but he stayed still, not moving, not even an inch.  
"I spent every single day for the next ten years with you, we shared everything with each other. We were going to move in together, we were going to get married, have kids. We were going to spend the rest of our life with each other."

"What are you doing?" He asked, his voice thick, body stiff.  
"I'm telling you about the boy I loved, because I still love him. I'll never stop loving him." I took a step back from Joker, but he didn't move. "But you're not that boy anymore. And I'm not that girl."

I looked the Joker up and down, angry at myself for not seeing it sooner. He may look like Jack, he may even have his voice, his eyes, his arrogant smirk. But my Jack wasn't twisted and angry at everyone, he didn't like anyone but that was different. My Jack wouldn't kill another person. He would never hurt me, never, he would have rather died than hurt me. That's why I knew, Jack was gone. All that remained now was the Joker. A shadow of Jack, all the dark and evil parts of him. No goodness left. No Jack left. The boy I loved was well and truly dead.

And then.

Then I pulled the trigger.


	20. Chapter 20

***Author's note***  
Final chapter you beauts. There will be an epilogue after this. But last official chapter of the sequel. I do hope you have enjoyed it. But one more chapter and an epilogue.

The gun wasn't aimed at Jack, it was aimed at my temple. I pulled the trigger and heard the gunshot ring out, but I let my hand fall down with a smile on my lips.

I barked a short laugh when the gun fired a blank. All the dramatics of a real gun, but none of the death. Good guess on my part, but I knew there had to be a reason why he made such a show of putting the gun in his pocket. Leaving it in his jacket and leaving me alone in the room. H wanted to see what I would do.

"Knew it." I took the gun and threw it at Jokers head. At the short distance it hit the desired target and he dropped to the floor holding his bleeding forehead.

I took the distraction and began to run again. I knew I had to head towards the inmates, they would be near the exit. I thought they would swarm me, but they jumped out of my way, I threw a glance over my shoulder as I sprinted I could see why. Joker was chasing after me, looking angry as all hell. That only made my feet go faster and I could finally see the front entrance.

I turned a sharp corner and tripped on the corpse of a nurse, I skidded across the floor with a surprised scream. Suddenly from the ceiling Batman dropped down. He looked at me slightly flabbergasted. I could guess why. I was on the floor, my skirt was ripped up to my thigh, my shirt ruffled and untucked, my hair beyond messy and my Gucci shoes were long forgotten.

I tried to smile. "Hi." I said lamely, and Batman stared at me. But we both turned when Joker came around the corner. He stopped suddenly when his eyes found me, and then Batman.

"Ror. Come back here. Now." Jokers voice was dark and gravely, as he stretched a hand toward me.  
"Rory, I can take you to safety." Batman held out his hand to me. "If that's what you want?"

"Ror." Joker warned me dangerously. I looked between them.  
Which way do I go?

My past? Or my future?

I loved Jack, I did. I don't think I could ever stop. Even if I tried.

But my Jack was dead and all that I was left with was the Joker.

'You can love a monster, it can even love you back, but that doesn't change its nature.'

The Joker may still love me, with some shred of Jack still in him. But that doesn't make him good, that doesn't make anything he has done any less evil.  
He was a terrible person. And he had done terrible things. And love doesn't change that. It doesn't change him. Doesn't change his nature.

This man was someone I don't know, not anymore.  
I loved him.

But I wouldn't keep risking my life for him. Not again.

I'm choosing me, I'm choosing the life I had built for myself.

With a deep shaky breath, I took batman's hand up and turned my back on Joker.

Before I took another step, I heard the click of a gun's safety turning off. I turned my head to Jack and he had a gun levelled on me.

"Get back over here." His voice shook with anger, but something else too. Desperation. I looked to the gun and back to the Jokers face. His eyes were pleading with me, and even though it broke my heart, I turned back to Batman.

"RORY!" Joker screamed, taking a step toward me with the gun. He was holding the gun so tightly I could see the whites of his knuckles.  
"Shoot me." I said simply. Not rising to his anger with my own. I was tired. Tired of all of this.

"Don't think I won't Ror." Jacks breathing was deep and ragged, as he hefted the gun right at my chest. I pulled the collar of my shirt down and revealed the hidden scar already running down my sternum.  
"I already took a bullet for you. What's another?" I let my shirt snap back up and took a step toward to Batman.

That's when the gun went off and I expected nothing, it was just blank bullets, right? But I was knocked to the ground and covered by a black wing.

A bullet bounced harmlessly off his cape and rolled under it, hitting my shoe. I picked up the small metal bullet and realised Jack didn't have the gun that I had. The harmless one. The blanks.

He had a real gun. He had tried to shoot me. He had tried to kill me. And he would have if not for Batman.

'… **but that doesn't change its nature.'**

I looked up to my caped saviour and he nodded to the entrance.  
"Run Rory." He whispered, and I nodded, getting up from the floor and was about to run. I caught a last look at the Joker as Batman leaped towards him.

"Rory?" He dropped the gun to the floor and looked at the hand that had been holding it, shocked. "RORY!" He screamed as he looked up to me but then all I could see was the Batman's back. I sprinted to the entrance and took the metal pipe from the handles that had been holding the door closed.

I didn't stop running, I just sprinted toward the police barricade. I could see Gordon's shocked eyes looking at me. He was yelling to the officers with guns trained on me. He began to wave his arms in front of the officers with guns aimed at Arkham.  
"Don't shoot her! Don't shoot!" I ran into Gordons arms nearly knocking us both over and broke down in sobs. He kept my up-right and kept his arms locked around me.

"You're safe now Rory. I've got you." Gordon held me tighter to him. I cried and shook in his arms.  
"You were right." I sobbed. "You were right about everything."  
"That doesn't matter anymore." He soothed me. "All that matters is your safe."

"I'm getting a cat!" I sobbed, crying hysterically.  
"We can get you a cat." He wrapped a blanket around my shoulders and he guided me further back from the barricade. He steered me to an ambulance and kept a hold of my hand as the paramedic checked me over. I didn't even fuss, I just let her do her work. Gordon and I sat in silence as she did. She finished quickly and left us alone on the steps of the ambulance.

"Gordon." I turned to him and squeezed his hand. "I have to tell you something." I gathered my courage and decided to just say it, but Gordon quickly interjected.  
"You can tell me later." He placed a hand on my forehead, running a thumb over the bandage that was covering a cut.

"I really can't. Gordon, The Joker, it's Jack." Gordon looked at me sympathetically.  
"Rory, you hit your head, you're not thinking straight." Gordon smiled but I didn't return it. I tugged on his hand and looked straight in his eyes.

"Jack didn't die on that pier. He turned into the Joker." Gordon still looked at me dubiously.

"Gordon, it's him. Do you think I wouldn't be able to recognize him? I know my Jack, and that's him. He knew things only Jack would ever know, he has his eyes, his scars, memories only me and Jack have together. It's him. He's changed, he's not Jack anymore. He's a monster now. But I couldn't let him go Gordon, I wanted to have my second chance with Jack. I wanted it so badly I ignored that Jack wasn't there anymore. My Jack used to be there but, he's changed too much, he's sick and twisted now. But I still love him, even now. He tried to kill me Gordon. My jack, my-" Tears spilled from my eyes again and realization dawned on Gordons face.

"Christ." He finally said and looked dumfounded. Which was pretty much my first reaction too, shocked.  
He blew out a long breath and I tugged on his hands again. "But you can't tell anyone." He looked to me with raised eyebrows but nodded.  
"Of course. It wouldn't do any good now anyway." He pulled me into his arms and after he released me I asked him.

"I'll keep your secret and you'll keep mine?" Gordon looked at me confused.  
"I don't have a secret…" He trailed off.  
"I know Bruce Wayne is Batman." I replied, and Gordon looked at me shocked.  
"How?" He gasped.  
"There is no way, two grown ass, different men listen to Tchaikovsky in their car." I replied wiping away the last of my tears. "They also both have a scar under their lip, anyway, they're both kind of dicks." I finally let out a little laugh and Gordon smiled at me.  
"Honestly I'm shocked no one else has figured it out." He smiled at me.

"Well, we'll just have to keep each other's secrets safe." He put an arm around me and I let my head fall against his shoulder. Gordon would keep my secret, even if I didn't have one of his. He would keep it because I asked him too. And he cared enough about me to.  
I felt a weight off my shoulders telling him, now he would see why. Why I lied and kept going, why I couldn't let it be. There was so much history and unfinished business between us. But I would have to let it rest now, it really was the end.

Jack was gone.

The boy I loved is dead.  
And I still love him. My heart aches for him.  
But the Joker is a poor substitute.

And I wouldn't dishonour Jacks memory like this.  
No more madness, no more joker.

The love of my life was gone, forever. And he isn't coming back.  
I have to live my own life now. It would be what Jack would want me to do. The old Jack, the Jack that cared about my happiness and loved me.

Because although it hurt me to admit it. I could live without him. I had to. I had to try. For Jack.

Batman came and found me later. I was still in the ambulance, waiting for Gordon to give me a ride home. But he had to oversee the riot ending safely and I honestly didn't want to go home to my empty house by myself.  
"Rory are you ok?" He asked, appearing from nowhere apparently.  
"You not joining in?" I gestured to the raid, but he shook his head.  
"The police can handle it from here." We both looked at Arkham and the steady stream of police going in. tear gas and riot shields at the ready.

"Your shirt is ruined." He commented with a small smirk.  
"This was a replacement one too." I teased, knowing Batman and Bruce were one in the same. Weird how I didn't notice it earlier. Same height, weight, build and chin.  
"Who bought you the first one?" Batman bluffed, and I decided not to reveal I knew. I could save it for a rainy day.

"Oh, you wouldn't know him. He's kind of a dick." I smirked now, and he sucked on his teeth but quickly schooled his features.  
"Lemon and salt." He said, and I turned to him surprised.  
"You want to go get Tequila shots?" I asked, the only thing that came to mind when he mentioned those.

"No, for the blood. It'll get the blood out of your clothes." He motioned to the large blood stain.  
"Oh, a lot of experience doing laundry?" I quipped, and he laughed.  
"Why do you think I wear black?"  
"Because it's slimming?" I joked and held the ice pack against my head again. "Don't listen to me. I got pistol whipped. I'm not medically responsible for anything I say." Which was true.

"But seriously, it was a close call in there." His smile vanished, and I could feel tears nearly slipping out again. But I pushed past it and smiled.  
"I'm kind of getting used to it." He nodded, and I motioned to the riot. "You should go."  
"Well, I can go and make sure nothing goes wrong." I raised a hand in goodbye and watched him run off into Arkham.

Am I friends with the Batman? So, my friends are the commissioner, Gordon who is more like family really. A police officer, Ben, who shot me. Ritchie, a henchman to the criminal mastermind clown my ex. And a playboy millionaire who also dresses up as a giant bat and deals out vigilante justice as a side thing…

What the fuck Rory?

But hey, beggars can't be choosers.

I could see when Batman brought Joker out of Arkham. I hid in the back of the ambulance until the police van holding him left. I didn't want to see him. Or more importantly for him to see me. It was a scene I was too tired of acting out with him. I didn't have the energy.

But I did peek out a little. He looked shell shocked and was led easily. Didn't put up a fight, just stared ahead of him, not looking at anything. I had expected screaming and kicking, rubbing his own wrists raw with thrashing. Screaming and laughing manically.

But nothing.

I stopped watching, no need to take a needless risk, I didn't want to see him.

Ever again.


	21. Chapter 21

Gordon finally drove me home an hour or so later.

After the Joker abandoned the riot to follow me, it kind of fell into shambles. None of the inmates knew what to do, and then the police finally arrived. A lot of doctors, nurses, orderlies and security guards died. But the majority of them hid in offices and barricaded the doors until help arrived. It was a terrible loss though, and it shouldn't have happened. Wherever the Joker ended up next, I hope it's equipped to hold him and doesn't even give him a chance to attempt another escape. And I won't be visiting.

A few days later I finally brought a little ginger and white kitten home. He was energetic, cheeky, rambunctious and fierce.

I called him Jack. Reclaiming the name and now when I said it, it helped bring a smile to my face instead of a tear. And I want to smile when I said that name, remember the boy I loved not the man he became. Gordon was uncomfortable with the new name, especially as he now knew Jack didn't die as the boy he thought he was. But he quickly warmed up to the new addition and loved to visit him. As did his kids, they came around with treats and new toys daily. Quickly taking over my sitting room with mice, ribbons and tassels. With Jack had no problem with. He loved the attention and ripping his new toys apart.

He was a lot friendlier to strangers, much more than his human counterpart.

I still had the bullet, the one Joker tried to hit me with. I held it whenever I had second thoughts about Jack still being in there. It helped remind me. Whoever was in Jacks body now, wasn't my Jack. It was the Joker. The boy I loved and who loved me was gone. Jack was gone, but that was ok. We would meet in another life. Maybe next time we'll do it right and live long, happy lives with each other. One can dream.

It wasn't the happy ending I dreamed about for Jack and me. But it was the one we were given, and I had to be ok with that. If I had taken Jokers hand instead of Batman's. I might not have made it out of Arkham alive. But I tried not to think about the what ifs and maybes. They'll kill you. Or at the very least, rip your heart out.

I began to doze on the couch with Jack the cat, I smiled as he went under the covers and curled up on my chest. Purring loudly. He was good company to have around, I didn't have time to grieve. He was always wanting attention, getting stuck under or behind something, wanting to play, jumping on Gordons head and biting his greying hair. Although he vehemently denied any of it was grey, even though most of it was.

I was ok with what happened, with how our story ended. I wish it never had to end. But we had our beginning, and everything has to end. It was sad, and I wished it didn't turn out like it did, but it did.

Jack and I made our decisions, and this is how it panned out. We shouldn't have ended up like this, we should have gotten married, moved in together and raised kids together. We should have been living our happy ever after right now. But we weren't.

Jacks gone, and I miss him every day, so much that it breaks my heart. But he'll always have a huge part of my it. And we'll always share our past, but my future, that was mine.

And I was damned if I was going to let anyone take it away from me.

 **Meanwhile, in Blackgate prison.**

He counted the days he had been shut away in this hell hole. He didn't have paper or any way to keep tally, those were luxuries he hadn't be awarded. He owned nothing but his skin, so he raked another mark on his arm with his sharp nail, waiting until he could see a bloody line.

He counted it as day 48.

48 days since he last seen Rory. Security was tighter around here, he couldn't get a message out or in. Yet. He just had to wait. Ritchie would come through for him. He always did. But Joker had never been a patient man. And he was getting antsy.

He needed to get out to Rory. She misunderstood him, he hadn't aimed to kill her. Just incapacitate her, maim her a little so she couldn't run away. She was brainwashed by Gordon and the Batman. Those men, he would kill them. Slowly and excruciatingly painful. They were top of his list.

But no, not Rory. Never Rory. Why didn't she know that? She just forgot that she belonged to him. Forgot they belonged to each other and the world wouldn't be right until they were reunited.

But he would soon change that. As soon as he figured out a way out of here. Which was difficult, Arkham was a simple riddle to figure out. This was more, complicated. But Joker always had an ace up his sleeve. He just needed time, time and Ritchie. Simple.

He would be out soon. And when he did.

He was coming for Rory.

They were going to be together forever. Even if it meant in death.

The Joker began laughing hysterically, blood dripping down his arm.

"Joker? Are you ready for our session?"

"Oh doc. I'm ready." The Joker grinned from ear to ear.  
Don't worry Rory, I'm coming for you. Joker is coming for you…

Fin.

***Authors final note.***

So, that is it guys. The finale of the sequel. It was only half as long as the first story, but that's because I hadn't planned on a sequel at all. But yes, the end. And yes i did upload this, very soon after the final chapter, i couldn't wait to get that completed sticker up! Haha

And we must say goodbye to Rory! I really loved the character I created, and I really enjoyed making a story from their past and bringing it to a modern-day AU Joker. And thank you guys for your reviews, your follows and favourites. It really meant a lot to me that people enjoyed it.  
I might do a one shot in the future, but right now I'm ready to move onto another story. And I'm not sure what I'll be doing next… I'm sorry for everyone who wanted a happy ending between Jack and Rory. It was too late for all of that. And after the shit he put Rory through, I don't think she could forgive him. But she still loves him, that kind of thing doesn't go away.

Speaking of love, my heart is a fickle beast and it jumps from one-character story to the other again. So, you'll have to stay tuned to see where it lands. Follow me as an author if you want to stay updated with what I'll write next. It might be your cup of tea, you might hate it, lets see.

But I am in the process of re-writing Gotham's fallen Angel. The main character and the Joker are very different in that story. Or at least I hope they are. But yeah it's 4 years old now so I'm rewriting and I'm going to try and finish it. So, sub to that story if you want some more Joker fiction goodness.

But again guys, thank you so much! I've grown in confidence as a writer and all your kind words have really boosted me. So, I _will_ be back with another story. You'll have to keep an eye out 😉

 **Lots of love**  
Sarin xoxoxo

P.S  
I'll be editing the first chapters of A Past Forgotten, just so they're a little easier to read for people.

In case you want to re-read. So, if you get an update that's all it is. But I'm not sure if Fanfiction would email you for that. Also, if you have another Fanfiction site you like, let me know. I'm wanting to put my story up some other places, but I'm not sure what other sites are popular. Shoot me a message 😊 Cheers!


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